Italian nationalism and an ‘Italian’ identity were constructed during Italy’s unification movement in the mid 1800’s. However, consensus on a national identity is still weak across Italy today. Instead, a polarization of Northern and Southern regions have contributed to discrimination, institutional racism and exclusion. This thesis demonstrates the multifaceted aspects of regionalism and internal migration, and their effects on Southern Italians’ view of identity, regionalism, and how their position as the ‘other’ contributes to their lived experience. This is supported by historical and political background information on Italy and the Emilia-Romagna region, relevant newspaper articles and political cartoons as well as qualitative fieldwork with Southern Italian migrants living in the northern city of Ferrara. This ethnographic case study highlights the growing global trends of regionalism and migration, in order to discover how migrants shape their regional identities
