Evaluations of Cultural Identity in the Personal Narratives of a Group of Tertiary Students of Italian Ancestry in Australia

Abstract

Examines the cultural identity of a group of tertiary students of Italian ancestry in Australia. In their personal narratives, the participants comment on their past and present experiences with respect to their Italian culture maintenance efforts and their attitudes toward Italian cultural values. The study follows in the humanistic sociological tradition, which seeks to understand the relationship between structure and agency through an analysis of both the activation of cultural values and their evaluation by active and reflective social agents.