Antonio Casella

The Italian Diaspora in Australia: Representations of Italy and Italians in Australianliterature Antonio Casella

Well in excess of one quarter million Italiansmigrated to Australia, most of them in the 1950-70period. Despite some initial problems, the vastmajority became permanent residents and integratedvery successfully in the socio-economic mould ofAustralian society. This research project, part of a doctoral thesis, which includes a novel, An Olive Branch for Sante, traces the progression of the Italian diaspora inAustralia and how it evolved over three generations. Specifically, it looks at the way that Italians andItaly are represented in the literary texts of thatcountry in the period 1950 to 2006 and how thesereflect the prevailing attitudes among the generalpopulation at the time in which the texts were written. In the final chapter titled, Literature of Nostalgia: The Long Journey, Casella reflects upon his own bodyof work, within the genre of Diasporic Literature.