Captive Allies: Italian Immigrants in World War One Australia
Karen Agutter
Abstract
Australia's short history is marked and marred by instances of 'captivity' particularly in regards to immigrant groups. This article will examine the experiences and responses of a virtually untold group of captives - Italian born residents of Australia during the First World War - and consider how these experiences provide a further link in a continuum of exclusion through confinement.
From the time of Italy's joining the war on the Allied side, Italians in Australia became increasingly problematic to the Australian Government as it struggled with issues of the maintenance of a volunteer army. There had been a long history of xenophobia towards Italian immigrants in Australia and, as one of the largest non-British born groups, even their status as Allies did not prevent their captivity. From the end of 1917 until the Armistice, Italian born men were rounded up and detained pending deportation to Italy.
Using a series of examples, this paper will explore the experiences of these captive Italians and the repercussions on the wider Italian immigrant population, also held captive in a broader sense by fear and uncertainty. This captivity episode will be compared to the very different experiences of Italian immigrants in Canada in the same period, highlighting the continuing issue of exclusion of the undesirable “other” by Australian authorities, particularly in times of war.
The article will show how the captivity experience of Italians during this period, like many other prior and post instances of captivity in Australia‟s history was motivated by racial stereotyping and exclusion set in a context of defence and national security concerns.
From the time of Italy's joining the war on the Allied side, Italians in Australia became increasingly problematic to the Australian Government as it struggled with issues of the maintenance of a volunteer army. There had been a long history of xenophobia towards Italian immigrants in Australia and, as one of the largest non-British born groups, even their status as Allies did not prevent their captivity. From the end of 1917 until the Armistice, Italian born men were rounded up and detained pending deportation to Italy.
Using a series of examples, this paper will explore the experiences of these captive Italians and the repercussions on the wider Italian immigrant population, also held captive in a broader sense by fear and uncertainty. This captivity episode will be compared to the very different experiences of Italian immigrants in Canada in the same period, highlighting the continuing issue of exclusion of the undesirable “other” by Australian authorities, particularly in times of war.
The article will show how the captivity experience of Italians during this period, like many other prior and post instances of captivity in Australia‟s history was motivated by racial stereotyping and exclusion set in a context of defence and national security concerns.
Full Text: PDF