Stornelli D’esilio (Story of the Exiles)

Today Sara is joined by Steve Cerulli, a PhD student at Fordham University, whose work focuses on the Italian diaspora to the United States. His research dives into themes like assimilation, settler colonialism, and Italy’s role in supporting colonialism abroad. In addition to his doctoral work, Steve is a researcher at the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute and teaches at Hostos Community College of The City University of New York.

* A brief note that Steve mistakenly mentions Jessica Barbata Jackson in relation to the book, Whom We Shall Welcome, but the author is Danielle Battisti.

More about this episode in a personal note from Sara:

I first came across Steve’s work while doing my own deep dive into this subject—trying to make sense of the stories I was raised with, and why certain versions of history always seemed to rise to the surface while others stayed buried. The more I learned—especially about Italy’s anti-fascist and anarchist movements—the more I realized how much had been left out.

Steve’s work helped fill in those gaps. He sheds light on the progressive and leftist roots of Italian American identity—histories often erased or overshadowed by a dominant narrative of conservatism and white nationalism.

In our conversation, we talk about the ways Italian-American history has been manipulated to serve political and economic agendas, where Christopher Columbus fits into that narrative, and, as Steve powerfully puts it, why “Italian Americans went from a group that was being lynched to a group that did the lynchings.”

This was an incredibly informative and thought-provoking conversation for me—and as you’ll see from our extensive show notes, Steve brought all his receipts.

Our conversation pushed me to think more deeply about my own cultural roots—and left me with a renewed commitment to examine the stories I’ve inherited, especially the ones I’ve never thought to question.

And even if Italian-American identity isn’t your own, I hope this episode offers you a moment to reflect; to ask yourself:

What have I been taught about who I am?Why do I believe what I believe?And who does that story really serve?

A heartfelt thank you to Steve Cerulli for joining us on today’s episode.

About Steve Cerulli

Steve Cerulli is working on a PhD at Fordham University in the Modern History track. He is a researcher at the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY. He sits on the board of the American Italian Cultural Roundtable, Italian Enclaves Historical Society, Casa Lago Press, and the Giovanni Schiavo Series. He is interested in the development of historic and international Italian identities, transatlantic fascism and anti-fascism, and anarchist and socialist thought and movements within the Italian diaspora.

Follow Steve on Instagram ➜

Learn more about this episode’s (song) title and listen to Stornelli D’esilio ➜

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