Assignment 2: Rome's Resistant Identity

Perhaps the most glaring aspect of a Roman's identity is their pride. Dating all the way back to antiquity, the Romans have been a prideful people, protective of their land, and boasting their accomplishments through the creation of arches documenting their victories over their enemies, statues looming over the city representing the emperors who brought them to victory, and the imposition of statues of the ancient Roman gods virtually everywhere representing their divinity as a city-state. This prideful theme continued when the Catholic church decided to call Rome its home and built countless basilicas throughout all of Rome, representing their control over the city. Paralleling the ancient Romans, the Catholic church topped their columns with statues of saints once again representing Rome as a divine city.

Rome's roots continue to be represented throughout the city and are unable to be ignored. While Rome has been able to beautifully maintain its history, this has, in effect, caused Rome to become 'frozen in time.' Although Rome's social identity is continually evolving with increasing numbers of immigrants every year, the Roman government refuses to recognize its changing demographics and fails to provide protection or security for minorities immigrating to Italy. With a population in Rome consisting of ten percent of non-Italians and an influx of individuals from Romania, the Ukraine, Poland, Albania, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Peru, China, and Morocco, the immigrant population of Rome can no longer be ignored. These immigrants are present in Roman society but native Italians, influenced by the ideas of Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister of Italy, refuse to allow them to integrate into society. For me, the opposition and resistance to the creation of a multinational identity in Rome is what represents the social, cultural, and physical forces shaping the Roman identity today.

While it would be ignorant to say that all Romans are resistant to change, I will focus on the Italian government's strong opposition to evolution. While there are many facets to Roman society, the government is the one that represents the majority and opposes the granting of rights for minorities. Prior to my arriving in Rome, I was unaware of the stringent social policies that Romans must abide by such as the process to gain citizenship in Italy. Physically, I think that this biggest force shaping the Roman identity is the presence of the Vatican in the city of Rome as well as ancient ruins such as the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. With a view of the Vatican's dome from virtually every point in the city, it is impossible to ignore its implications throughout Rome. The Vatican's looming imposition over Rome literally represents the role that government coupled with religion has in the city. From virtually everywhere in Rome, one can look to the Vatican and be reminded of the force that drives Rome: Catholicism.
Furthermore, the ancient ruins that have been preserved in Rome once again represent a prideful theme that is so common in Roman society. As Margaret Brucia lectured our group about Ancient Rome, specifically gods and goddesses, she highlighted the fact that Roman gods are much different from Greek gods. She emphasized that while often Roman gods are seen as pseudonymous with Greek gods, the Romans would be immensely offended if they thought anyone was comparing their similarities to the Greeks.This theme that Romans dislike being compared to other cultures continues to mold the Roman identity today.

The Roman government continues to resist comparison to other cultures today by refusing the acceptance of immigrants as citizens of Italy. With their strong opposition to  immigration, it is clear that the Romans, and Italians as a whole, are hesitant to allow their society to evolve into anything but a city that is stuck in its past, rejecting all progressive thoughts and ideals. In effect, Rome and the whole of Italy is forcing emigration by rejecting any thoughts outside of conservative ones and virtually outlawing any religion outside of Catholicism. If Italy continues to resist supporting any people living in Italy that are not Catholic, well-versed in Italian, and conservative, I argue that Italy will once again experience high numbers of emigration, similar to that discussed in Aliza Wong's Race and the Nation in Liberal Italy, 1861-1911 when "emigration was also characterized as a plague that had befallen the ill-prepared country," (Wong 127).

When asked: Who beings and who does not belong in Italy, I think the answer is clear: anyone who is not an Italian citizen does not belong. Isabella Clough Marinaro's article "Between Surveillence and Exile: Biopolitics and the Roma in Italy" beautifully depicts how the Italian government is shaping the identity of immigrants in Italy by stripping them of it, "The ancient Roman figure homo sacer, a criminal whose punishment was banishment from the community through the loss of all political and citizenship rights- who could be killed without his death being considered murder- frequently reappears in modern societies," (Marinaro 268). This idea of the homo sacer certainly reappears in Italian society with the homo sacer mirroring an immigrant.With the government making jure saguinis virtually impossible for an immigrant,  I argue that the Italian government strives to forcefully limit Italian identity to only Italians jus saguinis, or Italians by blood. These resistant government policies depict the people of Italy as resistant to change and backwards in their ideals. Such strong opposition and government impact on the identity of the country of Italy leaves them frozen in time.