New York – Welcome to the land of freedom; Frank Leslie’s illustrated newspaper, pp. 324-325

The research is based on the consideration that the economic and social transformations that have affected Italy at different times in its history have always had significant repercussions on emigration, activating migratory flows and influencing their composition as well as areas of origin and destination. These relationships and effects will be analyzed with reference to various significant moments in the history of Italian emigration. Three cycles of Italian migration can now be identified starting from the Unification of the country. The first is that of the ‘Great Emigration’, primarily transoceanic, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The second concerns intra-European migrations driven by the industrial development of Northern Europe. Finally, there is the current cycle which, following the decline of emigration, first saw the emergence of immigration and then, starting from the first decade of the century, a new growth in emigration, especially abroad. These three phases will be compared with each other, and each will be framed within the reality and socio-economic phenomena of the time in Italian society.

Objectives:

The research aims to fill a gap in the field of migration studies and meet a demand that has been felt for some time. In fact, recent decades have seen a resurgence of research on emigration, mainly concentrated on the post-World War II period. Contributions regarding different dimensions of the phenomenon or various destination countries have had the merit of providing a better understanding of the characteristics of emigration and its impact on Italian society during the ‘thirty glorious years’. However, a more general reflection on Italian emigration in its historical development and its effects on Italian society has been lacking. Furthermore, there is still no work that is both up-to-date and accessible while meeting the requirement for scientific rigor. The publishing house Il Mulino has ensured the publication of a book containing the research results.