Abstract
This paper will analyse the early years of Aeolian emigration to
Australia, and in particular the history of the foundation and development
in Melbourne of the Societa Mutuo Soccorso Isole Eolie, the Aeolian
fraternal society. It will do so by contextualising the Aeolian Islands
from the viewpoint of their geography, history, society and belief system,
showing how these factors have shaped Aeolian migration to Australia. The
paper argues that the geographic, social and historical processes informing
Aeolian identity have led Aeolian migration to Australia to display to a
heightened degree those characteristics of cohesiveness, solidarity and
entrepreneurial spirit that it shares with the broader Italian migration
phenomenon. In particular, it will examine how the establishment and
development of the Societa Mutuo Soccorso Isole Eolie in Melbourne
in 1925 exemplifies these qualities. Finally, it will seek to ascertain what
future may lie ahead for Melbourne s Aeolian community as a specifically
defined cultural and social group.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 21 - 46 |
Number of pages | 26 |
Journal | La Questione Meridionale |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 4 |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |