MLG 201 Oral History Project (Fall 2022)
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Authors
Vieira, Alexandra
Issue Date
2022-12-03
Type
Recording, oral
Language
en_US
Keywords
Italian, Oral
Alternative Title
Abstract
For my Italian Oral History Project, I decided to interview a family-friend and her name is Genna Plumitallo. We spoke a lot about what her Italian heritage means to her and what it is like for her to grow up in The United States with her grandparents who were born and raised in Italy and came to this country many years ago. We had an open and interesting conversation regarding what it means to her that her grandparents left all that they knew in order to enter a new environment to give their children a better life. In addition, it led us to discuss the meaning of identity and how it is very much possible to strongly identify with a culture of a country that she didn’t grow up in. Moreover, Genna’s Italian and American identity are made up of many aspects that she deems important and necessary in her growth and who she is today. She verbalized the importance of her family traditions and the various Italian meals that are made on Sundays, in honor of her grandparents. Not only this, but because her family was also very much American, they found a middle ground where they would bring cultures from both sides to establish a connection that Genna felt made her unique. All in all, in this interview, Genna expressed and showed me a vulnerable side of herself and her family that she wouldn’t change for the world.
Description
APPLIED LEARNING ENHANCED: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH. Oral
History Project carried out in MLG 201—Italian Food Culture and History with Dr.
Chiara De Santi