GEO 793 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Italian Canadians, Placemaking
19 Jul 2018
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Italian neighbourhoods in the city: 1) college street"s little italy (the oldest one, 2) st. clair avenue west"s corso italia (1950s, 3) downsview, 4) woodbridge. It contains several italian commercial storefronts: the italian population has diminished throughout the years and the percentage of new groups have increased. It encompasses the ritual marking of italian ethnic presence performed in urban space: examples include, 1) the good friday religious procession, 2) the gathering together during international soccer tournaments, 3) the chin international picnic. It encompasses the foundation of monuments and institutions to assert the permanence of italians in the city: examples include, 1) the italian canadian immigrant monument (in corso italia, 2) the columbus centre (community centre) Commercial italian identity: little italies in toronto have essentialized and commodified italianness for consumption. In the process, italianness has been reduced to stereotypes. Conclusion: the process of appropriating space never totally succeeds.
