When Italian immigrants landed on American shores they were outsiders: dark in complexion, culturally different and unable to speak English. Over time the vibrant community assimilated and moved from being ethnically suspect to being racially privileged as America divided into black and white. This collection of original essays from some of the countries' leading thinkers asks the question are Italians white?. Each piece explores how, when and why whiteness became important to Italian Americans, and the significance of gender, class and nation to racial identity. From tales of immigration to...