Riccardo Savona
Staff Writer
Immigration. Defined as the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country. What this dry definition fails to convey is the feeling of hope, but also the hardships and dreams that these people endure in such difficult times. A recent publication by four Trinity professors, ‘Where To From Here’ deals with the issues related to the relationships that stem between different ethnic groups, the problems, and the conflicts that can arise. It is interesting to an Italian to see how the situations between Italy and Ireland are not so different; both are countries of great migration waves. Countries that lost brothers, fathers, and entire families in the search for better conditions. This was the pushing factor that made many Italians leave their country between the years of 1861-1913, and Irish mostly during the years from 1845 to 1860.
And yet, somehow ironically, in an ever-changing modern society where the movements of people are virtually impossible to stop, these countries have found themselves on the other end of the migratory movement getting immigrants rather than emigrating. The reasons that ‘pull’ these immigrants towards these two countries are different however: the economic push of the roaring ‘Celtic Tiger’ explains why Ireland became a new destination for migrants, whilst in Italy’s the reason lies on its strategic location as the link between Europe and Africa. So what are the consequences of these inter-ethnic relations? As the authors of the book previously mentioned put it, “Migration into Ireland is one of the biggest demographic changes to affect Irish society since the famine.” This has effects on so many different aspects of its society, from small things like food to values and ideas. There are many cases of people integrating, maintaining their identity whilst still respecting the values of the country they migrated into. But there are also many cases of common misunderstandings, incomprehensions that can lead on one side to exclusion, fearing the unfamiliar and the unknown, and on the other to self-withdrawal, in a time of great internal turmoil between the need of belonging to something and the uncertainties of a new life. This ultimately can bring to the rejection of the other, ignorance and conflict, going from the ‘dirty foreigner’ shouted in the streets to the concerning growth in consensus of extremist and xenophobic parties like the BNP in Britain. And for those who think this may sound a bit alarmist, it should be pointed out that parties like the BNP are not only a feature of Britain, but are present throughout Europe as the Northern League in Italy (currently in the governing coalition), and the National Front in France, to name a few. However it seems that in Ireland the issue of migration is still at an early stage, and therefore it is still too early to judge how and what the precise outcomes will be.
Having personal experiences of the presence of migrants both in Italy and Ireland, I can say that the situation is better in the latter country, where there seems to be a more welcoming attitude. Italians on the other side, probably still have to come to terms with this phenomenon; if 20 years ago the idea of a young son of immigrants speaking Italian didn’t sound so common, the same can’t be said as of today. It is reassuring to see, beyond the episodes of racism and hatred, young generations of immigrants, who feel Italian, who speak Italian and still manage to relate to their country of origin. Maybe this teaches us that integration and understanding start at a young age, and thus the fact that the Minister for Children is launching the book by the four Trinity professors, is a welcome sign of acknowledgment of this approach. Ultimately we cannot sit on our ‘ivory towers’ and think, like some politicians want to us to, that we can stop the flux of immigration from one day to the next; we have to understand the extreme reasons that inspire this people into making a leap into the unknown, whether it is wars in their home country, or extreme poverty and starvation. It might not be easy, but Italians and Irish have to remember how once they were in that situation, and how everyone a few centuries back or even in more recent times, knew or knows someone who took this huge step.
