Many dimensions, many directions Exploring representations of cultural integration & identity in an Italian - Canadian newspaper

Introduction

Results

AcknowledgementsReferences

Conclusion

Methods Multicultural media such as ethnic newspapers both reflect and produce cultural values, ethnic identities, and integration experiences (Ojo, 2006; Kama, 2008; Sreberny, 2002; Johnson, 2003; Viswanath & Arora, 2000). This project carried out a qualitative content analysis to study one such media outlet—the local Italian newspaper Il Postino—to explore how it represents Italian-Canadian integration and identity. As one of only a handful of English-language multicultural newspapers in Ottawa, and as the only such newspaper available online in its entirety, Il Postino may be a leading source of information about cul-tural integration for Italian and non-Italian readers alike, hence the case for this study. Research on the Italian diaspora has been scant in recent years, perhaps owing to a de-cline in Italian immigration (Powell, 2005), yet the community remains a key fixture in Canada's cultural tapestry—for instance, over 45,000 self-identifying Italians reside in the National Capital Region (Statistics Canada, 2006). This study aims to contribute knowledge about this well-established but under-researched community. By identifying how the news-paper portrays Italians' experiences of and contributions to Canada, this study endeavours to demonstrate how complex and multifaceted are multicultural media’s representations of cultural processes. Using a sample of articles from the newspaper, this study investigates the following research questions:

This study used a crite-rion sampling technique to select cases (articles) based on predetermined criteria (Cresswell, 2007). 27 articles related to the topic of cultural integration were selected from issues of Il Postino available online. The sampled articles included biographies of first- or second-generation immigrants (n = 10); anec-dotes on Italian-Canadian life (n = 7); descriptions of Italian-Canadian history (n = 3); and discussions of Italian integration, culture, or values within a Canadian context (n = 7). The three components of the study—literature review, coding, and analysis—proceeded simul-taneously, as shown in Table 1.

I am deeply grateful for the support, feedback, and assistance provided by my faculty sponsor, Dr. Rukhsana Ahmed. Dr. Ahmed continually encouraged me to maintain an open mind and to be rigorous in my analysis, and she offered ideas which changed the course of this study and allowed it to evolve beyond my expecta-tions. I would also like to thank the University of Ottawa for providing students a valuable op-portunity to conduct research projects under the mentorship of faculty members.

Oksana Kravets

B.A. in Communication with Minor in Psychology okrav041@uottawa.ca

These findings appear to demonstrate that the cultural integration process is not linear and straightforward; rather, it involves complex nego-tiations between various cultural elements. The results support a Hegelian perspective, in that Italian-Canadian identity seems to arise from dia-lectics (and, ultimately, reconciliation) between opposing elements (Hancock & Tyler, 2001). At the same time, however, the findings do not ac-count for Hegel's belief that a “life and death struggle” between 'us' and 'them' must occur before a dialectic reconciliation of identities is reached (p. 571). Il Postino contains virtually no instances of aggressive 'othering' of Canadians, suggesting that the Italian-Canadian community may not have a clearly defined other. Conceptions of cultural integration ought not to be simplistic or reductionistic, but should

instead recognize “integration, fusion, and hybridisa-tion” as key attributes of cultural identity develop-ment (Chan, 2005, p. 129). The findings of this re-search outline a new metaphor for integration: inte-gration as an organic process. Unlike the popular mosaic metaphor, which offers a somewhat static view of integration, this metaphor emphasizes active, inter-linking, and continually changing processes. Il Postino effectively conveys the complexities and paradoxes inherent in cultural integration. Instead of propagating a purely ethnic (Canada-focused) or exilic (Italy-focused) paradigm, the newspaper adopts a multidirectional diasporic gaze—one that understands and communicates cultural experiences by “looking all around,” across time and space (Sreberny, 2002, p. 221). Il Postino teaches readers to 'gaze' thoroughly at the many dimensions that make up their heritage, cul-tural identities, and immigrant experiences.

Il Postino represents a typical Italian as having or valuing a mix of individual-based qualities (conscientiousness, accomplishment, and professional endeavours) and collective-based qualities (interpersonal relatedness, tradition, and domestic or recre-ational endeavours). The essence of Italianness seems to lie in this mix of individual and collective values. This essence is embodied in cultural identification and participation, a final value that involves such things as participation in Italian or Canadian local and na-tional communities and recognition of oneself as Italian, Canadian, or a mix of both. This value transcends and merges the individual and collective realms, producing a space where both key qualities of Italianness can be optimally expressed.

In Il Postino, integration is represented as a series of reciprocal and simultaneous rela-tionships between opposing elements:

(1) What qualities of “Italianness” does Il Postino implicitly or explicitly advance?

(2) In what ways does Il Postino portray the process of Italian-Canadian cultural integration?

Chan, K. B. (2005). Chinese identities, ethnicity and cosmopolitanism. New York, NY: Routledge. Cresswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Hancock, P., & Tyler, M. (2001). Managing subjectivity and the dialectic of self-consciousness: Hegel and organization theory. Organization, 8(4), 565-585. doi:10.1177/135050840184002 Johnson, M. A. (2003). Constructing a new model of ethnic media: Image-saturated Latina magazines as touchstones. In A. N. Valdivia (Ed.), A companion to media studies (pp. 272-292). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. Kama, A. (2008). Labor migrants’ self-empowerment via participation in a diasporic magazine: Filipinos at Manila-Tel Aviv. Asian Journal of Communication, 18(3), 223-238. doi:10.1080/01292980802207124 Neuman, W. L. (2011). Qualitative and quantitative sampling. In M. Eid (Ed.), Research methods in communication (pp. 303-337) Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions. Ojo, T. (2006). Ethnic print media in the multicultural nation of Canada: A case study of the black newspaper in Mon treal. Journalism, 7(3), 343-361. doi:10.1177/1464884906065517 Powell, J. (2005). Encyclopedia of North American immigration. New York, NY: Facts on File. Sreberny, A. (2002). Collectivity and connectivity: Diaspora and mediated identities. In G. Stald & T. Tufte (Eds.), Global encounters: Media and cultural transformation (pp. 217-234). Luton: University of Luton Press. Statistics Canada. (2006). Population by selected ethnic origins, by census metropolitan areas (2006 Census) (Montreal, Ottawa-Gatineau). Retrieved from http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo27e-eng.htm Viswanthath, K., & Arora, P. (2000). Ethnic media in the United States: An essay on their role in integration, assimilation, and social control. Mass Communication and Society, 3(1), 39-56. doi:10.1207/S15327825MCS0301_03

(A) Collectivity and individuality. Individual interests and experiences come to characterize the collective, and vice versa. The collective is both unified and segmented, as individuals embrace a national Italian identity as well as regional Italian identities (i.e. those related to one’s home-town).

(B) Past and future. Present-day Italian-Canadians have simultaneous duties towards past and future generations. The past influences the future and future-orientedness influenced the actions of past generations.

(C) Canadianness and Italianness. Loyalties to one’s Italian roots and to Canada can grow simultaneously. Italian and Canadian communities influ-ence one another in a variety of ways, and the two communities mutually 'adopt' and invest in each other.

Il Postino also represents integration in ways that resemble organic processes. Integra-tion is portrayed as being:

(A) Contextualized. Just as a living organism is an open system that in-teracts with its environment in order to develop, the Italian-Canadian community is strongly tied to its social and historical contexts.

(B) Structured. Like a living organism, cultural integration contains struc-tures, coordinated systems, and organized processes (e.g. the use of formal, structured institutions to embody Italian values and experiences; the imposition of cultural frameworks on daily life; the use of dualities like “us” and “them” to structure reality).

(C) Growth-based. Like a living organism, the integration process in-volves both individual and collective growth and development.

(D) Active. To keep the Italian-Canadian community alive and growing within a sometimes-arduous climate, members must actively 'tend to' and cultivate the community, just as one might care for a living organism.

Literature Review Coding Analysis

First phase: Searching for literature related to multicultural media, integration processes, cultural identity, and Italian-Canadian history.

Pilot open coding using two thirds of articles

(70 categories)

Open coding(43 categories)

Closed coding(13 categories)

Theming(3 themes with multiple

subthemes)

Selective coding(Finding numerous ex-amples for themes and

subthemes)

Memoing (conjecturing about possible themes and con-nections be-tween catego-ries).

Answering the research questions by describing the themes and relating re-sults to exist-ing literature and theories

Second phase: Search-ing for literature that illuminated, sup-ported, or challenged findings in order to triangulate results and situate the study within a theoretical framework.

Table 1. Methodology.