Overview

Delves into Italian contributions to these genres and what those contributions mean to global Italian cultural and political identity. Diverse and minority populations worldwide have often embraced horror, science fiction, and fantasy narratives as a means of coming to terms with the multigenerational processes of migration and enculturation and of acting in opposition to totalitarian forces everywhere. Italian/American Fantastika explores how works in these genres by and about Italians from Italy, Canada, and the United States provide models for rethinking and refashioning what it means to be Italian in the twenty-first century. This is the first book to examine how Italian ethnic identity intersects with the whole universe of horror, science fiction, and fantasy, from the literary to the popular, and from print to visual media. Written by experts in multiple fields, from art history to film studies, and in an array of writing styles—scholarly, journalistic, personal, activist—this is a book for scholars and general readers interested in genre storytelling, ethnic studies, or the arts and humanities as a whole.

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9798855805635

Table of Contents

Reviews

""A veritable treasure-trove of readings—inclusive of comic books, films, television series, and music videos—this book ushers in a new era of Italian American studies. The fantastic essays featured in DiPaolo's and Lioi's volume are theoretically rich and help us understand our deeply troubled twenty-first century."" — Mary Jo Bona, author of Mothers, Mobility, Narrative: Maternality in US Literature ""In this exciting and deeply researched collection, masterfully edited by Marc DiPaolo and Anthony Lioi, the various contributors explore the concept of what they call Italian/American 'fantastika,' through an exploration of genres like science fiction, horror, and fantasy. Written with great verve and intellectual depth, the essays powerfully explore the cultural and political significance of everything from robots to witches, from Dante to pirates, from Pinocchio to Star Trek while placing them within the context of utopian studies, literary studies, and Italian American studies. Precisely by bringing much-needed complexity and clarity to the meaning of Italian American speculative culture, the authors in this collection provide incredibly fruitful insights on the meaning of belonging, assimilation, nationalism, and identity that will be incredibly valuable to a wide audience."" — Alex Zamalin, author of Black Utopia: The History of an Idea from Black Nationalism to Afrofuturism ""The intersection of Italian ethnicity and the fantastika genre is a rich area that has long been neglected, and this book begins to repair that oversight. Its pioneering nature is perhaps its greatest strength, along with its broad understanding of the Italian diaspora.""— Jonathan J. Cavallero, author of Italian Americans on Screen: Challenging the Past, Re-Theorizing the Future

""A veritable treasure-trove of readings—inclusive of comic books, films, television series, and music videos—this book ushers in a new era of Italian American studies. The fantastic essays featured in DiPaolo's and Lioi's volume are theoretically rich and help us understand our deeply troubled twenty-first century."" — Mary Jo Bona, author of Mothers, Mobility, Narrative: Maternality in US Literature ""What a fun and engaging book! These essays powerfully explore the cultural and political significance of everything from robots to witches, Dante to pirates, and Pinocchio to Star Trek, providing incredibly fruitful insights into the meaning of belonging, assimilation, nationalism, and identity."" — Alex Zamalin, author of Black Utopia: The History of an Idea from Black Nationalism to Afrofuturism ""In this exciting and deeply researched collection, masterfully edited by Marc DiPaolo and Anthony Lioi, the various contributors explore the concept of what they call Italian/American 'fantastika,' through an exploration of genres like science fiction, horror, and fantasy. Written with great verve and intellectual depth, the essays powerfully explore the cultural and political significance of everything from robots to witches, from Dante to pirates, from Pinocchio to Star Trek while placing them within the context of utopian studies, literary studies, and Italian American studies. Precisely by bringing much-needed complexity and clarity to the meaning of Italian American speculative culture, the authors in this collection provide incredibly fruitful insights on the meaning of belonging, assimilation, nationalism, and identity that will be incredibly valuable to a wide audience."" — Alex Zamalin, author of Black Utopia: The History of an Idea from Black Nationalism to Afrofuturism ""The intersection of Italian ethnicity and the fantastika genre is a rich area that has long been neglected, and this book begins to repair that oversight. Its pioneering nature is perhaps its greatest strength, along with its broad understanding of the Italian diaspora.""— Jonathan J. Cavallero, author of Italian Americans on Screen: Challenging the Past, Re-Theorizing the Future

Author Information

Marc DiPaolo is Assistant Professor of Humanities at Moraine Valley Community College. He is the author of several books, including Fire and Snow: Climate Fiction from the Inklings to Game of Thrones, also published by SUNY Press. Anthony Lioi is Professor of English at the Juilliard School, where he teaches composition, American literature, and the environmental humanities. He is the author of Nerd Ecology.

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