The Transnational Food Network of the Italian American Families. Business, Gender and Generation at the beginning of the XX century

Abstract

This essay will focus on the relations between food, gender, and generation among Italian Americans at the beginning of the XX century.Four different issues are explored: the generational connections related to food consumption, the roles of wives/mothers, husbands/fathers, sons and daughters and their relations inside the ethnic family, the transnational business based on family-run companies and their Atlantic trade network, and the influence of the American society among second generation Italian Americans. Familieshad been the center of a generational shock, in which parents forced sons and daughters to accept an “invented” tradition to keep the power on new generations. Food also played an important role in family business development in Italy and United States. These transnational companies established a well-structured network thatmolded the Italian and American industrial landscape. This article will correlate cultural and social history of the Italian American families with economic and business history to show the way Italians shaped their ethnic identity in the United States.