The article provides a depiction of the settlements in Italy, from both a diachronic and a synchronic point of view. As a “fresco, it describes a landscape, but also, through some in-depth insights, offers details of selected regional contexts where the presence of Sikhs is particularly prominent. The analytical concept which lingers through the paper is that of a “mirror games”, permeating the ways in which Sikhs, in each of the contexts depicted, juggle with the dominant neo-assimilationist discourse in Italy and thereby have been able to find an original and positive way to make their own identity accepted. Indeed, external Sikhs symbols, such as turbans and beards, and public religious events like city processions (nagar kirtan), respond to the lure of exoticism, which Italian society looks for within an orientalist discourse. The first section examines the history of Indian immigration in the country, focusing especially on the last two decades when this settlement has become substantial. It also provides some data about the regions in which the Sikhs are located, and a map of the gurdwaras in the country in order to shed light on their concentration. The second section focuses on the kind of interactions that exist between Sikhs and the host Italian society, and more specifically on the Sikh’s ability to cope with the public discourses on immigration which has permeated migration policies, public opinion, and local entrepreneurs, by representing themselves as the “good peasant”, the “good savage”, in opposition to the “bad” migrants, and Muslims in particular. The remaining sections give insights into three regions in Italy where the authors carried out their own research: Emilia-Romagna (Modena, Reggio Emilia, and Parma districts), Lazio (Roma), and Veneto (Vicenza). Each section has been framed with both quantitative data about the Indian presence, describing the occupational sectors in which the Sikhs are prominent in each region, and qualitative data which has been derived from fieldwork, local media news and other sources.
Mirror Games: A Fresco of Sikhs Settlements among Italian Local Societies
PEROCCO, Fabio
2011-01-01
Abstract
The article provides a depiction of the settlements in Italy, from both a diachronic and a synchronic point of view. As a “fresco, it describes a landscape, but also, through some in-depth insights, offers details of selected regional contexts where the presence of Sikhs is particularly prominent. The analytical concept which lingers through the paper is that of a “mirror games”, permeating the ways in which Sikhs, in each of the contexts depicted, juggle with the dominant neo-assimilationist discourse in Italy and thereby have been able to find an original and positive way to make their own identity accepted. Indeed, external Sikhs symbols, such as turbans and beards, and public religious events like city processions (nagar kirtan), respond to the lure of exoticism, which Italian society looks for within an orientalist discourse. The first section examines the history of Indian immigration in the country, focusing especially on the last two decades when this settlement has become substantial. It also provides some data about the regions in which the Sikhs are located, and a map of the gurdwaras in the country in order to shed light on their concentration. The second section focuses on the kind of interactions that exist between Sikhs and the host Italian society, and more specifically on the Sikh’s ability to cope with the public discourses on immigration which has permeated migration policies, public opinion, and local entrepreneurs, by representing themselves as the “good peasant”, the “good savage”, in opposition to the “bad” migrants, and Muslims in particular. The remaining sections give insights into three regions in Italy where the authors carried out their own research: Emilia-Romagna (Modena, Reggio Emilia, and Parma districts), Lazio (Roma), and Veneto (Vicenza). Each section has been framed with both quantitative data about the Indian presence, describing the occupational sectors in which the Sikhs are prominent in each region, and qualitative data which has been derived from fieldwork, local media news and other sources.
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