Date of Award

Spring 2013

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Language and Culture Studies, Political Science

First Advisor

Priscilla Meléndez

Second Advisor

Christopher VanGinhoven Rey

Abstract

Through waves of chain migration in the first-half of the twentieth century, and more recently in the aftermath of the 2001 financial crisis, Argentina and Italy have shared interconnected historical cultural ties with increasing numbers of dual citizens. In this way “lo porteño,” the identity associated with Buenos Aires, has not been very different from “lo italiano” in their cultural intermeshing. This is not to say, however, that each nation does not hold its own unique traditions and histories. The fight for political visibility amongst the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, and Queer (LGBTQ) community has proved to be a schism between the two countries contemporarily. While each nation has a large Roman Catholic majority, nominally around 90%, which has obfuscated the distinction between public and private and impeded the LGBTQ cause politically, the Argentine journey to LGBTQ rights has been more efficacious. This paper posits some of the potential factors that have created a more inclusive democratic society in Argentina and more exclusionary political community in Italy. I examine the relationship between policy output and political culture to investigate the obstacles to achieving egalitarian legislation. I conclude with new ways of conceiving “difference” in postmodern democracies in light of these two countries’ sociopolitical histories.

Comments

Senior thesis completed at Trinity College for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Language and Culture Studies, Political Science.

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