November 10, 2025
“Paper Whiteness: The Italian Press and the Racialization of Identity in the US South”
Matteo Brera, Ph.D.
Monday, November 10, 4:30 p.m.
Matteo Brera will take us into the world of Italian-language newspapers in Louisiana and Alabama from the late 1800s through World War II, showing how these communities tried to position themselves as “white” — often by reproducing anti-Black prejudice. His talk asks big questions about how media and language shape racial hierarchies and collective identities — questions that resonate strongly with what many of us teach and research.
Dr. Brera is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Research Fellow with a project titled A Darker Shade of Whiteness, focused on preserving and studying rare Italian ethnic newspapers like La Voce Coloniale, L’Italo-Americano, and Il Gladiatore. His work connects migration history with race, media, and power in ways that are urgent and relevant today.
Further information
- Location: Waidner Spahr Library - Stafford Reading Area
- Time: 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
- Cost: Free