Italianness at the mirror. The Juventus Club of Addis Ababa and the “return” of children of immigrants to Ethiopia

Abstract

Colonial and post-colonial structures play a key role in the analysis of the children of immigrants in Italy. However, little research has been done on this topic in the former colonies. The purpose of this article is to analyse how coloniality and post-coloniality play a key role in the determination of mobility projects to Ethiopia by Italians of Ethiopian origins. Focusing on the Juventus Club in Addis Ababa, the city’s postcolonial space par excellence and at the same time one of the reference spaces for Italians of Ethiopian origin during their stay in Ethiopia, the aim of the paper is to show the complex field of meanings within which the children of immigrants reproduce their Italianness. The Italian post-colonial structures, dynamics, and symbols that are considered, function as a mirror that reflects the relation between children of immigrants and Italianness both in Italy and in Ethiopia.