The "Signs" of Emigration - Italy from emigration to immigration. The first multimedia work will be presented at the External Affairs Ministry's Association

Dedicated "to all those who had to leave".

A multimedia work by Tiziana Grassi and Catia Monacelli:

Documents, research, testimonials, music, films.

The first multimedia work on emigration and immigration (published by Il Grappolo) will be presented at the External Affairs Ministry's Association

The first multimedia work entirely dedicated to the Italians living abroad (published by "Il Grappolo Editore" Publishing House) will be presented at the Circolo del Ministero degli Affari Esteri (External Affairs Ministry's Association) on September 10th.

Strongly advocated by Tiziana Grassi, a writer and author of programs for Rai International,

and Catia Monacelli, an anthropologist and the manager of the "Pietro Conti" Regional Museum of Emigration in Gualdo Tadino,

this multi-faceted work, to which Giovanna Chiarilli has contributed, has come to light under the aegis of the Ministry of External Affairs, the "La Sapienza" University and the "Pietro Conti" Regional Museum of Emigration.

The "Signs" of Emigration has been conceived by the authors as a strongly people-oriented work, therefore not just for the expert, organized according to different "signs" representing two-pronged "core symbols" of the emigration phenomenon: on one side, symbols such as the ship, the train, the letter, the piece of luggage, the money remittance, as well as aspects such as cinema, nutrition, toponymy, spirituality, music; on the other, the deep lacerations left in those who have lived the emigration experience. A chapter is entirely devoted to the "Woman", as the silent protagonist of the history of emigration, while another one is dedicated to the Italians-Americans who, over a century, have pursued abroad, in a personalized vision of "America", a future their homeland seemed to deny.

Abundant and very precious testimonials have been provided by the participants. "In a two-fold perspective of analysis and structure of the CD ROM – stresses Tiziana Grassi – this work has involved scholars, academicians, fellow journalists, institutions such as the Ministries of External Affairs and of Cultural Heritage, Universities, Museums of Emigration, the Caritas-Migrantes Foundation, the Italian Geographic Society, research centres, etc., as well as, and this is the added value, direct witnesses, i.e., 'those who had to leave' – to whom we have dedicated the CD ROM – and who, consequently, relate the emigration experience not from a historiographic and sociological perspective, but, rather, from the standpoint of an experience lived on their own skin, including all the precious, human, emotional and documental charge."

Particularly rich are also the sections featuring the photographic material contributed by the main institutions forever working, side-by-side, with our communities abroad, while many "witnesses" of the emigration experience have provided, in addition to their own recounts, photographs and documents, in order to share their past with others who have gone through the same journey.

"With a view to enlarging the scope and provide a more in-depth look at the core issues concerning our emigration – explains Catia Monacelli – a large section of the work is dedicated to archival material: ship's logs, menus and mini-libraries, handbooks for the emigrant, old shipping lines' billboards, photographs, letters, as contextual, visual testimonials of some of the most significant moments that have 'marked' the emigrant's personal experience. Furthermore, in order to provide the largest overall view possible, the Gualdo Tadino Regional Museum of Emigration has made available to this work precious, previously-unpublished documents. Then, following up on a need often expressed by teachers and students visiting the Museum, we have inserted, in addition to pieces of music and films on emigration, an educational Appendix, to help carry out research studies, laboratories and in-depth analyses in both the elementary and high schools." Such a need, to bring this important page of our history into our classrooms, has always been advocated by our compatriots living abroad as well.

The "Signs" of Emigration - Italy from Emigration to Immigration –

Documents, research, testimonials, music, films

by Tiziana Grassi and Catia Monacelli

with contributing work of Giovanna Chiarilli

Edizioni "Il Grappolo" Publishing House

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For more details please contact:

info@ilgrappolo.it

segniemigrazione@gmail.com

06 / 09 / 2008