Webinar: South America – Italy. Migrations, culture, future

There is a long and rich history of cultural and economic ties between Italy and Latin America, many of these ties stem from migrations in both directions. Italian migration has contributed to the cultural fabric of Latin America since at least the 17th century, shaping an important part of the cultural identity of many South and Central American countries, and Latin America has given Italy some of its most important and influential figures, not to mention some of its biggest soccer stars, and even the current Pope. The first webinar in this year’s Diaspora Webinar Series at Luiss will focus on the individuals and groups that continue to forge ties between Italy and Latin America, and the many things they share in common. The event, titled “South America – Italy. Migrations, culture, future”, is free to attend and scheduled for December 14th 2021, from 5-6:30 pm CET.

In South and Central America, the presence of individuals and communities of Italian heritage is strongly felt, first in terms of their numbers. People with Italian ancestry make up some of the largest immigrant groups in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Italian-Brazilians, for example, are the largest number of people Italian heritage outside of Italy, and São Paulo is the city with the largest population of people with Italian ancestry in the world. It is estimated that around 30 million Argentines (62.5% of the population) have Italian ancestry, and there are roughly 527,600 Italian citizens living in Argentina. Argentina’s neighbor Uruguay is likewise home to a substantial Italian population, as it is estimated that more than a third of Uruguayans are of Italian descent. There are also significant Italian immigrant populations in Colombia, Venezuela, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Guatemala

Migration between the continents also flows in the other direction, with Latin Americans making up an important part of the population of the Italian peninsula. There are an estimated 280,000 migrants from Latin America living in Italy, but there are also thousands of other Latin Americans in Italy with dual citizenship, or who have repatriated taking advantage of Italy’s jus sanguinis.

The bidirectional diasporic flows between Italy and Latin America carry with them cultural, artistic, culinary, architectural and linguistic elements, create spheres of influence on both sides of the Atlantic and continue to renovate and deepen existing links.

The Diaspora Webinar Series and Luiss was created to highlight the important role of diaspora communities play in building bridges and circulating knowledge between home and host societies. The series spotlights both groups of individuals in Italy who maintain ties (real or symbolic) to a country of origin and Italians living abroad. The goal is to involve experts, professionals and other community members with links to diaspora communities to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and know-how, and identify opportunities for collaboration and partnerships.