Scholars from the Università degli Studi di Padova will play a prominent role at the upcoming Annual Meeting of the Louisiana Historical Association (LHA), to be held in Lafayette, Louisiana, with a fully Padua-led and organized session devoted to Italian experiences in the US South.
Titled A Southern European Gaze on the US South: Italian Scholarly Perspectives on Italians in Louisiana, the session brings together Matteo Brera, Alice Gussoni, and Stefano Luconi, all affiliated with the Università degli Studi di Padova, to offer complementary perspectives on Italian migration, racial formation, and ethnic self-representation in Louisiana from the late nineteenth century through the Second World War.
The session will be chaired and commented on by Elena Daniele (Tulane University), whose work and institutional affiliation underscore the importance of long-standing Italian Studies programs in the US South. Tulane University, home to one of the region’s most historic and influential Italian programs, provides a particularly meaningful scholarly context for a discussion centered on Louisiana and New Orleans.
Drawing on original archival research and transatlantic methodologies, the panel examines three interrelated themes:
Collectively, the session aims to reassess long-standing historiographical assumptions, highlight underutilized sources, and foreground the importance of Southern Louisiana as a key site for understanding Italian American history beyond traditional Northern and urban frameworks. The panel also represents an initial step toward developing a broader international research initiative involving academic and cultural institutions in Italy and the United States.
The session will be presented in person as part of the LHA Annual Meeting.
More information on the conference is available on the official LHA website: Louisiana Historical Association Annual Meeting
