Introduction
Migration seldom represents an easy decision, and its consequences always reflect on the migrated people. Having to adapt to a new environment, migrants inevitably face the question of accepting the established norms or keeping particular features unaltered. In this context, forced migration often motivates people to prefer the latter option. Such was the case with Jewish (Rutland, 9) and Italian (Ricatti, 29) migration waves to Australia during and after World War II. In particular, Italian and Jewish cultural peculiarities in the areas of food and sport showcase this tendency, as their development played an important role in distinguishing migrants from locals in their new homes.
Discussion
The first main point behind the argument is how Jews and Italians used their cooking traditions for business purposes. Notably, the majority of the dishes served in culturally unique restaurants provided an upper hand in terms of competition in the food market. In her autobiography, Judy Wasserman highlights how the kosher food restaurant became a landmark in Melbourne (471). In turn, Boccabella directly states that “through their foods, and the communal enjoyment of foods, the Italians not only asserted their ethnic heritage but won the approval of Anglo-Australians” (33). In other words, migrants preserved their cultural traditions and used them to their advantage.
The second main point illustrates the case with the difference in sports rule set preferences between the locals and migrants. In particular, while Australian football rules represented the mainstream option, many Italians chose to follow soccer (Klugman and Ricatti, 527). Due to its linkage to the European style, the latter managed to connect the hidden and peripheral parts of Sydney and Melbourne, fostering the atmosphere of multicultural ethnic diversity (Klugman and Ricatti, 527). At the same time, migrants viewed the choice in the former’s favor as a way for transcultural exchange and, to some extent, as a part of the assimilation process.
However, in cases when negative attitudes toward migrants hindered their integration into society, even the adoption of existing standards occurred in adherence to migrants’ customs. The last main point refers to the Jewish sport clubs that emerged despite antisemitic tendencies, which led to their strong cultural detachment. For instance, according to Cherny, the Saints football club significantly contributed to the arousal of Jewish passion (15). By securing a win on the holiest day of Judaism, Yom Kippur, the Saints established a bridge between the original Jewish communities of Melbourne and newcomers that came to Australia fleeing from World War II.
Conclusion
Overall, the Italian and Jewish tendencies to preserve cultural features in terms of food and sports perfectly illustrate the migrants’ desire to feel at “home” again. This sense is intertwined with the concept of cultural identity, the concept that is damaged the most when it comes to the migration experience (Martsin and Mahmoud, 730). Consequently, cultural preservation after migration can be understood as the means of managing the migration experience, and examples of Italians and Jews in Australia reflect this process.
Bibliography
Boccabella, Zoë. “Bridging Two Cultures: Italian Migrant Food in Australia.” Italian Historical Society Journal 12, no. 1 (2004): 31-34.
Cherny, Daniel. “1966 and All That.” In People of the Boot: The Triumphs and Tragedy of Australian Jews in Sport, edited by Dashiel Lawrence and Ashley Browne, 15-27. Melbourne: Hybrid Publishers, 2018.
Klugman, Matthew, and Francesco Ricatti. “Re-creating home and exploring away in new cities: Italian migration and football codes within Australian urban centres.” The International Journal of the History of Sport 36, no. 6 (2019): 513- 531.
Martsin, Mariann, and Hala Mahmoud. “Never at home? Migrants between societies.” In The Oxford handbook of culture and psychology, edited by Jaan Valsiner, 730-745. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.
Ricatti, Francesco. Italians in Australia: History, Memory, Identity. Cham: Springer International Publishing. 2018.
Rutland, Suzanne D. The Jews in Australia. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Wasserman, Judy. “My Mother Never Cooked for Me.” Australian Jewish Historical Society Journal 23, no. 3 (2015): 468-475.