The Construction of the Italian Citizenship: The Case of Dual Citizens Living in Istria

403 Pages·2013·1.79 MB·English

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1  INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 10 
1.1 Overview of Context .......................................................................................... 13 
1.1.1 My Personal Case ........................................................................................ 14 
1.1.2 A Historical Overview ................................................................................. 16 
1.1.3 The Mediatic Situation ................................................................................ 18 
1.2 Problem Statement ............................................................................................. 19 
1.3 Statement of Purpose and Research Questions .................................................. 21 
1.4 Research Approach ............................................................................................ 22 
1.5 Researcher's Perspectives ................................................................................... 23 
1.6 Researcher's Assumptions .................................................................................. 24 
1.7 Rationale and Significance ................................................................................. 25 
CHAPTER 2  COMPARABLE STUDIES ............................................................... 28 
2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 28 
2.1.1 Research on Dual Citizenship...................................................................... 28 
2.2 Chapter Summary and Discussion ..................................................................... 32 
CHAPTER 3  METHODOLOGY ............................................................................. 33 
3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 33 
3.2 Rationale for Research Approach ...................................................................... 34 
3.2.1 Rationale for Qualitative Research Design ................................................. 36 
3.2.2 Rationale for a Case Study Method by Using Ethnography ........................ 39 
3.3 Sample and Population ....................................................................................... 41 
3.3.1 The Timespan of the Collecting of the Data from the Informants and the
Places .................................................................................................................... 49 
3.4 Overview of Methodology ................................................................................. 50 
3.4.1 Data-Collection : Interviews ........................................................................ 50 
3.4.1.1 The Interview Questions ....................................................................... 51 
3.5 Methods and Procedures for Data Analysis and Synthesis ................................ 59 
3.5.1 Overview ..................................................................................................... 59 
3.5.2 Analytic Approach ....................................................................................... 59 
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3.5.3 Synthesis ...................................................................................................... 60 
3.5.3.1 The Procedure in Det ail ....................................................................... 61 
3.6 Issues of Trustworthiness ................................................................................... 65 
3.6.1 Credibility/ Validity ..................................................................................... 65 
3.6.2 Dependability/ Reliability............................................................................ 70 
3.7 Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................ 72 
3.8 Limitations of the Study ..................................................................................... 72 
3.9 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................... 73 
CHAPTER 4  PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS .................................................... 74 
4.1 Introduction and Overview. ................................................................................ 74 
4.2 Finding 1: Culture Matters ................................................................................. 75 
4.2.1 Multiculturalism – Fake and Real ............................................................... 75 
4.2.1.1 The Italian Culture ................................................................................ 78 
4.2.1.1.1 What is Italian Culture?.................................................................. 79 
4.2.1.1.1 Italian Culture – A Disappearing Culture ...................................... 82 
4.2.1.1.1 Belonging to the Anglo-Saxon Culture ...................................... 83 
4.2.1.1.2 Components of Italian Culture ....................................................... 84 
4.2.1.1.1 Architecture ................................................................................ 84 
4.2.1.1.2 Food ............................................................................................ 85 
4.2.1.1.3 Mass-media ................................................................................. 91 
4.2.1.1.2.3.1 The Italian Television ....................................................... 92 
4.2.1.1.2.3.1.1 Historical Connections Between the Italian Television
and Croatia ......................................................................................... 92 
4.2.1.1.2.3.1.2 Italian Television – The Most Important Medium ..... 94 
4.2.1.1.2.3.1.3 Italianness and Distinction Through Television. ........ 96 
4.2.1.1.2.3.1.4 Japanese Cartoons ...................................................... 98 
4.2.1.1.2.3.1.5 Language and Television ........................................... 99 
4.2.1.1.2.3.1.6 Italian Comics .......................................................... 101 
4.2.1.1.2.3.2 Italian Literature .............................................................. 102 
4.2.1.1.2.3.3 Italian Magazines ............................................................ 103 
4.2.1.1.2.3.4 Sports .............................................................................. 104 
4.2.1.1.4 Language .................................................................................. 105 
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4.2.1.1.2.4.1 The Italian Istrian Dialect ............................................... 106 
4.2.1.1.2.4.2 Italian Language is Disappearing.................................... 108 
4.2.1.1.2.4.3 Music............................................................................... 109 
4.2.1.1.2.4.4 The Perception of the Croatian Culture .......................... 111 
4.3 Finding 2: Identity Matters ............................................................................... 112 
4.3.1 A Weak National Identity .......................................................................... 112 
4.3.2 Identities in Ethnically Mixed Marriages with one spouse Italian ............ 113 
4.3.3 What Does It Mean to Be Italian in Istria? ................................................ 115 
4.3.3.1 The Census and Italianness ................................................................. 118 
4.3.3.2 Nuances of Italianness ........................................................................ 119 
4.3.3.3 Feeling Different(ly) ........................................................................... 123 
4.3.3.4 What is in a Surname? ........................................................................ 125 
4.3.3.4.1 A Possible Slavicization? ............................................................. 128 
4.3.3.5 The Importance of Education for the Italians in Istria ........................ 129 
4.3.3.5.1 Non-Italians in Italian Schools ..................................................... 130 
4.3.3.6 Italians As a Minority ......................................................................... 132 
4.3.3.6.1 Italian Minority – A New Minority .............................................. 133 
4.3.3.6.2 A Daily Struggle ........................................................................... 134 
4.3.3.6.3 A Disappearing Minority ............................................................. 134 
4.3.3.6.4 A Minority without Rights ........................................................... 135 
4.3.3.6.5 An Invisible and Not So “Cool” Minority ................................... 135 
4.3.3.6.6 Double Standards against the Italian Minority ............................. 136 
4.3.3.6.7 Italian Communities ..................................................................... 137 
4.3.3.6.1 Enrollment in the Italian Community ....................................... 137 
4.3.3.6.2 The Italian Communities are in Decline ................................... 139 
4.3.3.6.8 A Moderate Minority is an Enemy of Extremists ........................ 139 
4.3.3.6.9 Italians From Italy Not Aware of the Existence of The Italian
Minority in Istria ......................................................................................... 140 
4.3.3.6.10 Perceived Differences Between Italians in Istria and in Italy .... 141 
4.3.3.6.11 Italian Authorities Ignoring the Italian Union ............................ 143 
4.3.3.7 Istrian Italians as Rimasti .................................................................... 144 
4.3.3.8 Italians That Left Istria ........................................................................ 146 
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4.3.3.9 Italianness as Distinction .................................................................... 148 
4.3.3.10 Italianness As a Reactionary Identity ............................................... 149 
4.3.3.11 Istrian Italians Feeling Inferior in Italy ............................................. 151 
4.3.3.11.1 Feeling Different in Italy – Not Really Italian ........................... 152 
4.3.3.11.2 Waiting With the Extracomunitari ............................................. 154 
4.3.3.12 Disappearing Italianness ................................................................... 156 
4.3.3.13 Discrimination and Prejudices Against Italians ................................ 157 
4.3.3.13.1 Discrimination ............................................................................ 157 
4.3.3.13.2 Prejudices ................................................................................... 163 
4.3.3.14 Italian Irredentism And Nationalism ................................................ 164 
4.3.3.14.1 Italian Irredentism ...................................................................... 165 
4.3.3.14.2 Italian Nationalism ..................................................................... 167 
4.3.3.15 Croatness Of Italianness In Istria ...................................................... 168 
4.3.3.16 Italy In The Eyes Of Istrian Italians .................................................. 169 
4.3.3.17 Italian Military Pensions ................................................................... 170 
4.3.3.17.1 Shopping In Italy ........................................................................ 172 
4.4 Finding 3: The “False Italians” and the Talijanaši ........................................... 173 
4.5 "False Italians" in the Eyes of (Those Who Think About Themselves as) Italians
................................................................................................................................ 174 
4.6 At the Consulate ............................................................................................... 176 
4.6.1.1.1 Ethics of “False Italians” .............................................................. 182 
4.6.2 “False Italians” As Unconscious Croats Or Talijanaši .............................. 183 
4.6.3 Finding 4: The Quest for Citizenship ........................................................ 186 
4.6.4 Reasons for Applying for the Italian Citizenship ...................................... 187 
4.6.4.1 Ethnic Pride ......................................................................................... 188 
4.6.4.1.1 Italian Citizenship as a Proof of Identity ...................................... 189 
4.6.4.1.2 Affective Reconnection ................................................................ 190 
4.6.4.1.3 Dignity .......................................................................................... 191 
4.6.4.1.4 Deserve It ..................................................................................... 193 
4.6.4.2 Opportunism ....................................................................................... 195 
4.6.4.2.1 Italian Citizenship as a Help for (a Possible) Residency Permit .. 195 
4.6.4.2.2 You Never Know ......................................................................... 196 
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4.6.4.2.3 Border Crossing and Traveling .................................................... 198 
4.6.4.2.4 Social Security Benefits ............................................................... 199 
4.6.4.2.5 Italian Citizenship as an Aid to Find a Job in the European Union
..................................................................................................................... 200 
4.6.4.2.6 Italian Citizenship as an Aid to Import Goods Subject to Custom
Fees.............................................................................................................. 200 
4.6.4.2.7 Italian Citizenship as an Aid for Study Benefits in Italy .............. 201 
4.6.4.2.8 Italian citizenship in Order to Move to Italy ................................ 203 
4.6.4.2.1 Not Having Intentions to Move ................................................ 203 
4.6.4.2.2 Move Istria to Italy? ................................................................. 205 
4.6.4.2.3 Maybe Moving to Italy ............................................................. 205 
4.6.4.2.9 To Avoid Military Draft ............................................................... 206 
4.6.4.3 Convinced By the Family ................................................................... 206 
4.6.4.4 Reasons for not Applying ................................................................... 208 
4.6.4.4.1 Lack of Time ................................................................................ 208 
4.6.4.4.2 Great Spending ............................................................................. 209 
4.6.4.4.3 Not Applying Because of the Croats ............................................ 209 
4.6.4.4.4 Not Seeing Any Benefits .............................................................. 209 
4.6.5 Learning About the Possibility .................................................................. 210 
4.6.5.1 Word-of-Mouth ................................................................................... 211 
4.6.5.2 Italian Community as a Place for Information .................................... 211 
4.6.5.3 An Italian Union Organization............................................................ 212 
4.6.5.4 The Italian Minority Newspaper La voce del popolo ......................... 213 
4.6.6 The Procedure for Applying for Citizenship ............................................. 213 
4.6.6.1 Difficulty of the Procedure ................................................................. 215 
4.6.6.1.1 Perceived as Easy ......................................................................... 215 
4.6.6.1.2 Perceived as Hard ......................................................................... 216 
4.6.6.2 The Cost of the Procedure................................................................... 218 
4.6.6.3 Putting the Documentation Together .................................................. 218 
4.6.6.4 Proof of Italianness ............................................................................. 219 
4.6.6.4.1 The Impossibility of Proving Italianness ..................................... 219 
4.6.6.4.2 Proving Italianness with the (Grand)parents' Documentation ..... 219 
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4.6.6.4.3 No Proof Asked ............................................................................ 221 
4.6.6.4.4 Having an Italian Surname as a Proof of Italianness ................... 221 
4.6.6.4.5 Handing In Extra Documentation to be Sure ............................... 222 
4.6.6.4.6 School Diplomas .......................................................................... 223 
4.6.6.4.7 Extra Activities in the Italian Community ................................... 223 
4.6.6.4.8 Membership in the Italian Community ........................................ 224 
4.6.6.5 As a Spouse ......................................................................................... 225 
Registration at the Annagrafe Italiani residenti all'estero (AIRE) – The Registry
of Italians Living Abroad ................................................................................ 225 
4.6.6.6 Filtering People at the Consulate ........................................................ 226 
4.6.6.6.1 Speculation About Filtering ......................................................... 226 
4.6.6.6.2 Two Kinds of Applicants ............................................................. 227 
4.6.6.6.3 The Inter-Ministerial Commission ............................................... 228 
4.6.6.6.4 The Interview With the Consul .................................................... 229 
4.6.6.7 Applying While Living in Italy (In Trieste) ....................................... 230 
4.6.6.8 Duration of the Procedure ................................................................... 230 
4.6.6.9 Problems in the Procedure .................................................................. 232 
4.6.6.9.1 Injustice ........................................................................................ 233 
4.6.6.9.2 Misspelled Surnames .................................................................... 236 
4.6.6.9.3 Technical Problems with Children ............................................... 238 
4.6.6.9.4 Unclear Reasons for Stopping the Procedure ............................... 238 
4.6.6.9.5 Tension of the Applicants ............................................................ 239 
4.6.7 Benefits From Citizenship ......................................................................... 239 
4.6.7.1 To Study Abroad ................................................................................. 240 
4.6.7.2 Not Need for the Residency Permit .................................................... 241 
4.6.7.3 Border Passing .................................................................................... 241 
4.6.7.4 Having a Proof of Italianness .............................................................. 242 
4.6.8 Previous Requests ...................................................................................... 243 
4.6.8.1 During the War in the 1990s ............................................................... 243 
4.6.8.2 Rejected Because the War .................................................................. 244 
4.6.8.3 In the 1960s ......................................................................................... 244 
4.6.8.4 During the Studies in Italy .................................................................. 245 
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4.6.9 Speculation About the Law 124/2006 ....................................................... 245 
4.6.9.1 Less Spending for The Italian Minority .............................................. 246 
4.6.9.2 Citizenship as Public Relations for the Republic of Italy ................... 247 
4.6.9.3 The Law 124/2006 is a Product of Pressure From the Italian Union .. 247 
4.6.9.4 A Possible Future Annexation ............................................................ 248 
4.6.9.5 Getting Voters ..................................................................................... 251 
4.6.9.6 Historical Reasons .............................................................................. 251 
4.6.9.7 Dirty Conscience of the Italian State for the Italians Left in Another
Country ........................................................................................................... 252 
4.6.9.8 Care for Italians Abroad...................................................................... 253 
4.6.9.9 Quid Pro Quo ...................................................................................... 254 
4.6.10 After Getting The Citizenship ................................................................. 255 
4.6.10.1 Concealing the Citizenship and Passport .......................................... 256 
4.6.10.2 Using the Citizenship for Pragmatic Purposes .................................. 256 
4.6.10.3 Accepting the Duties as an Italian Citizen ........................................ 256 
4.6.10.4 Nothing Changes With Citizenship .................................................. 257 
4.6.11 The Meaning of Citizenship .................................................................... 258 
4.6.11.1 Citizenship as a Symbolic Victory .................................................... 258 
4.6.11.2 Citizenship as a Symbolic Recognition ............................................ 259 
4.6.11.3 Italian Citizenship Lost Meaning – Everybody Can Have It ............ 260 
4.6.11.4 Citizenship as an Intimate Personal Choice ...................................... 261 
4.6.11.5 Citizenship as a Means to Solve Practical Problems ........................ 261 
4.6.11.6 Citizenship as a Way to Bypass the Local Italian Communities ...... 261 
4.6.12 Sovereignty .............................................................................................. 262 
4.6.12.1 Increased Sovereignty of Croatia ...................................................... 262 
4.6.12.2 No Influence on Croatian Sovereignty ............................................. 264 
4.6.13 Envious Others ........................................................................................ 266 
4.6.13.1 Jealousy ............................................................................................. 267 
4.6.13.2 Double Standards .............................................................................. 267 
4.6.14 Reality Check At The Consulate ............................................................. 268 
4.6.14.1 The Legal Frame ............................................................................... 268 
4.6.14.1.1 Legal Hierarchy .......................................................................... 270 
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4.6.14.2 Statistics ............................................................................................ 270 
4.6.14.3 False Italians ..................................................................................... 271 
4.6.14.4 Speculation About the Law 124/2006............................................... 273 
4.6.14.4.1 A Great Relief for the Local People ........................................... 274 
4.6.14.5 Reasons for Citizenship .................................................................... 274 
4.6.14.6 The Procedure For Citizenship ......................................................... 275 
4.6.14.6.1 Problems With the Procedure ..................................................... 275 
4.6.14.6.2 Family Changes .......................................................................... 276 
4.6.14.7 The Inter-ministerial Commission In Rome ..................................... 277 
4.6.14.7.1 Proof of Italianness – Procedure of Evaluation Of Italianness .. 278 
4.6.14.8 Applying the Citizenship Under the Law 124/2006 in Italy ............. 282 
4.6.14.9 Being Relaxed at the Consulate ........................................................ 283 
4.6.14.10 Ius Sanguinis ................................................................................... 283 
4.6.14.11 The Monfalconesi ........................................................................... 284 
4.6.14.12 Citizenship As An Umbilical Chord ............................................... 286 
4.7 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................. 287 
CHAPTER 5  ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION, AND SYNTHESIS ................. 289 
5.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 289 
5.2 Analytic Category 1: What Does It Mean to Be an Italian in Istria? ............... 289 
5.2.1 What is Ethnicity? ..................................................................................... 290 
5.2.2 Similarities between the German Case and the Istrian Case ..................... 292 
5.3 Analytic Category 2: Reasons for Applying for the Italian Citizenship .......... 297 
5.4 Analytic Category 3: The Meaning of the Italian Citizenship for the People in
Istria ........................................................................................................................ 301 
5.5 Analytic Category 4: The Influence of a Second Citizenship on the Beholders
................................................................................................................................ 303 
5.6 Synthesis........................................................................................................... 305 
5.7 Reexamination of Assumptions From Chapter 1 ............................................. 306 
5.8 Summary of Interpretation of Findings ............................................................ 308 
CHAPTER 6  CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................... 310 
6.1 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 310 
6.2 Recommendations ............................................................................................ 311 
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6.2.1 Recommendations for the Italian Authorities ............................................ 311 
6.2.2 Recommendations for Further Research ................................................... 311 
6.3 A Final Reflection on the Study ....................................................................... 313 

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