Sixth National Conference in London, ON, October 14-15
21stCentury Approaches to Preserving Italian-Canadian Narratives: Engagement, Identification, Sharing
“Italians lived in London (ON), Sarnia, Ottawa, Montreal, the Maritimes, Vancouver and Calgary!” Yes, they did and do and in places throughout Canada, apart from Toronto.
“Importantly, Italian-Canadians contributed as much to their communities as their communities influenced and changed their lives”, says Caroline Di Cocco, ICAP President. “Now it is up to Italian-Canadian communities throughout Canada to stand up and commit to finding and sharing their histories and stories.”
ICAP is a national network that reaches out to engage such communities across Canada to connect them with Italian-Canadian history experts, public archivists and community organizers; to train and educate communities in gathering, organizing and sharing their history; as well as, to share news, events and relevant models and experiences nationally.
ICAP’s Sixth National Conference, October 14-15, brings together community activists, scholars, archivists, artists, students and people interested in the ICAP model. On Friday, The Marconi Club will host the Conference opening and AGM and offer a dinner and artistic evening program open to the public, featuring writer/poet Gianna Patriarca, a video on Italian Canadians in London and a screening of the Paul Tana film on discovering and preserving a 1960s Montreal television show, Ricordati di noi. Also, Bruno Ramirez and Gabriele Scardellato will launch their new edition of Italians in Canada: Yesterday and Today
On Saturday at the University of Western Ontario, Modern Languages, Arts and Humanities Bldg, 3B15, 1151 Richmond St., in the Keynote Session at 9am, Michael Moir, the York University Archivist and Jonathan Vance, Distinguished University Professor (UWO) will speak about making decisions to further research and scholarship be it institutional or personal. Presenters from across the country will discuss models for internship programs, bridging classroom-community with teaching innovations in schools and universities and offering various tools and tips for gathering oral histories. “By sharing and focusing on how our community and scholars have worked together in London, wehopetoencourageotherItalian-Canadiancommunitiestoactquicklybeforetheirhistoryandnarrativesarelostforever”,saysProf.AntonioCalcagno,King’sUniversityCollege,London.
“Let’s get our Italian-Canadian history out of shoeboxes and our basements!” says President Di Cocco. “Let’s make them accessible to everyone, to future generations and to researchers whowilltellourItalian-Canadianstoriesinternationally.”
Register for the conference at https://icap.ca/2016-conference/ For more information contact:
Caroline Di Cocco, ICAP President, carolinedicocco@gmail.com Prof. Antonio Calcagno, acalcagn@uwo.ca
Carrie-Ann Smith est titulaire d’une maîtrise en bibliothéconomie et sciences de l’information de l’Université Dalhousie à Halifax. Elle est devenue membre de la Pier 21 Society à l’été 1998 et occupe actuellement le poste de Device-President, Public Engagement Officer au Musée canadien de l’immigration du Quai 21. Mme Smith (ne vous fiez pas à son nom de famille) est un descendant de Federico et Mabli Artuso de San Martino di Lupari; elle a écrit une histoire sur sa vie de jeune italo-canadienne grandissant à Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, paru dans Mamma Mia: Good Italian Girls Talk Back (ECW Press). L’objectif de Mme Smith de travailler au Musée, qui est d’aider à recueillir, préserver et faire connaître les souvenirs des immigrants qui sont venus au Canada, la motive également à contribuer au travail de l’ICAP.
Sandra Parmegiani enseigne les études italiennes et européennes à l’Université de Guelph et a été présidente de la Société canadienne d’études italiennes (juin 2014 à juin 2017). Dans le passé, elle a enseigné la littérature et la langue italiennes au Trinity College de Dublin (Irlande) et à l’Université de Western Ontario. Ses recherches portent sur la littérature et la culture italiennes du XVIIIe siècle et de la période contemporaine. Depuis 2013, grâce à une bourse obtenue de Mitacs, elle encadre des travaux postdoctoraux sur la cartographie des ressources culturelles immatérielles par l’analyse de la culture de la lecture.
