Book
Such hardworking people: Italian immigrants in postwar Toronto
McGill-Queen's University Press • Montreal • Published In 1993 • Pages: xxix, 278 , plates
By: Iacovetta, Franca.
Abstract
In this monograph Franca Iacovetta describes the working class experiences of Italian immigrants who came to Toronto from southern Italy between 1946 and 1965. In attempting to capture their early experiences the author addresses four major themes in this book: (1) the transition from peasant worker in an under-developed, rural economy to wage-earner in an industrial society; (2) the re-evaluation of the role of women in the immigrant culture; (3) the relations between immigrants and the host society; and (4) the development of immigrant militancy, particularly in terms of labor (e.g., labor organization, strikes, etc.). Iacovetta notes that while both women and men had to struggle for their subsistence and were often exploited, nevertheless they found innovative ways to recreate cherished rituals and customs from their homeland and were aable to derive a sense of dignity and honor from the work they performed. Much of the data presented in this study were obtained by the author form interviews and further supplemented with recent literature on immigration, family and labor studies, oral histories, and women's history.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2000
- Region
- North America
- Sub Region
- Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures
- Document Type
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Historian
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- John Beierle; 2000
- Field Date
- no date
- Coverage Date
- 1946-1965
- Coverage Place
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Notes
- Franca Iacovetta
- Includes bibliographic references (p. 223-271) and index
- LCCN
- 93125296
- LCSH
- Italians--Canada