A disavowed community: the case of new Italian migrants in London

Abstract

Abstract This paper reports on a study of the language ideologies and practices of the post-2008 crisis Italian migrants in London. It explores how the traditional idea of a national migrant community is challenged by these practices. While the Italian post-2008 crisis migration continues a long tradition and has captured the attention of the media, it is understudied from a sociolinguistic point of view. Using a qualitative research approach, two sets of data were collected: recordings of social interactions in spontaneously organised gatherings, and interviews with 15 post-crisis migrants. The data show the multilingual practices of post-2008 migrants and their attitudes towards these practices. Participants recognise translanguaging as the main practice defining the community language. This seems to contrast with the disavowal of their national migrant community. They refuse to engage with traditional community sociocultural practices, challenge their membership of the Italian community in London and, in some cases, even deny the existence of the community by highlighting the internal diversity that characterises this group. Nevertheless, although the participants refuse to be seen as members of a national community, they describe their engagement with translanguaging as a community practice that determines their belonging to a migratory group. The paper argues that, through the practice of translanguaging, migrants negotiate and shape their migratory identities, and reflect on the concept of the community and its dynamics.