Rappresentazioni e immaginari degli Stati Uniti e dell'Italia dei nuovi immigrati italiani a New York

The article analyzes the image and representations of Italy and the United States seen within the migratory dynamics of a small group of young Italians who emigrated to New York in the last years. The analysis begins with some important historical excerpts that have charcterized the relations between the two nations and the representations they had about each other. Further, it investigates the viewpoint of young Italians today, by means of in-depth interviews carried out in 2013 and 2018. The exploratory study sheds light on two issues: on the subjects’ image of Italy and of the Italians and on the image they have built of the United States and of the Americans, highlighting the differences observed by the subjects in the new environment compared to the Italian one. The representation of Italy focuses on the nation’s structural problems and the emotional ties of the young people to their homeland, while that of the United States is presented through the relational, political, social, and working aspects of their experiences.