In contemporary society, the emergence of terms such as "hybridization", "multiculturalism", "interculture", "transculturality", "creolization", and "crossbreeding" are evidence that transformations that have taken place in societal contexts have begun to find acknowledgement, at least in language. However, acknowledging these changes objectively is one thing. Feeling deeply involved in them is quite another: it is to move beyond looking at the existence of multiple cultural identities with tolerance and waiting for them to be integrated into a social environment that seeks, primarily, to maintain its own integrity. What is arguably more progressive is to accept the challenge of constructing a common citizenship where what is common also belongs to the many who are not the same as the (Western) self. It is an endeavor that appears even more pressing given the re-emergence of nationalism and the consequent closure in each cultural identity as a defensive reaction to globalization (Jullien, 2018).

People who are different—in various ways (skin colour, gender, ethnicity, immigrant status, age, disability)—risk ending up living in a state of marginality and radical disregard, in the language of the concept of othering (Dusi, 2020). We believe that what is at stake for these people is a complex question of recognition, the affirmation of their intrinsic value, something that also requires the deconstruction of narratives from which many of the prejudices and injustices that have marked and continue to mark “minorities” draw energy and validation.

The research presented here is part of a doctoral research project focusing on the theme of recognition in both its active and passive forms—i.e., recognizing and being recognized (Ricoeur, 2005)—considering, specifically, the obstacles that minorities, pushed to the margins for various reasons, have to overcome in even their everyday lives. The “minority” chosen to explore this question of recognition is “second generation migrants” in Italy, and specifically emerging young women writers within this “category”.

Following Honneth's re-actualization of the Hegelian concept of Anerkenneung (1996), the theme of recognitionhas become increasingly important in contemporary discourse. Ricoeur (2005), for instance, enters explicitly into dialogue with Honneth, identifying various paths of recognition, while Taylor (2002) emphasizes how the demand for recognition emerges urgently from many quarters because of an assumed link between recognition and identity. The intention with the present study is also to include the contributions of female theorists and feminist thought. Braidotti (1995; 2002), Benhabib (2005), Fraser (2007), and Spivack (2004) have configured various pathways by which a different subjectivity—such as that of a “nomadic subject” (Braidotti, 1995)—might find affirmation, and give particular attention to the concept of difference itself. Furthermore, we believe that intersectionality (Crenshow, 1989; Likke, 2012) offers an effective lens through which to explore issues of identity and difference in contemporary contexts, insofar as an intersectional approach seeks to understand how “social categories” (gender, ethnicity, class, religion, age) interact and influence one another, in doing so defining different forms of inequality and promoting a deeper understanding of the complex reality.

In summary, our study seeks to explore whether, and through which individual and social processes, female "second generation“ writers in Italy have constructed—and continue to construct—self-recognition and social recognition in their life and work environments. With this in mind, we ask, around what foundational nuclei is their experience built, which themes emerge with the greatest urgency and importance in their work, and whether—and in what ways—the practice of writing might represent a way for these authors to pursue their personal “struggle for recognition”(Honneth, 1996).  

The study comprises three methodologically distinct sections. The first is intended specifically to achieve a better understanding of the international debate around writing by “second generation” women/women from “migrant backgrounds”, and to explore whether there is a connection between recognition and writing and in what terms this is made explicit. These goals informed the design and implementation of an integrative review (Whittemore & Knafl, 2005), a form of broad-scope, time-intensive review that is typically used to summarize both empirical and theoretical literature to reach a more holistic understanding of the phenomenon of interest (Toronto & Remington, 2020). It involves consulting at least five databases and secondary sources to learn about the state of the field relative to a given research topic. The databases are queried using specially constructed strings and following inclusion (and exclusion) criteria, such as time frame and language of publication. Dissertations, theses, conference proceedings and trade journals can be consulted as secondary resources. The support of at least one other reviewer and, potentially, a librarian are required in order to assess what may or may not be selected and incorporated into the review. The second section is designed to identify emerging, young, female “second generation” writers in Italy, map their work—establishing the nature of its content and key themes—and assess their involvement with other forms of writing: all this with a view to selecting the writers who are most in line with the research questions. Again in this part of the study, writers were subject to inclusion criteria, i.e. being new-generation Italians, born no earlier than 1981, and born in Italy to parents of immigrant origin or having moved to Italy at an early age (aged ten or less). The third section involves the direct participation of a number of emerging young women writers. Having these writers express themselves directly regarding their decision to write and publish can offer interesting insights into the condition of being a woman and a “second generation” writer in Italy. With this in mind, plans are in place to conduct semi-structured, discursive interviews (Cardano, 2003; Atkinson, 2002) with writers who have agreed to participate in the study. Finally, in an additional phase, the authors of the study will compare, and develop dialogues between, the data obtained from the integrative review and the results that emerge in the other two phases.

At the time of writing, the integrative review and mapping phases are approaching completion and the third section, collection of data through interviews, has begun. This presentation focuses on various considerations that have arisen from the first two sections. Specifically, in the context of Italy, representation of BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) people appears scarce, a situation compounded by the fact that, when such people are present in the cultural landscape, it is more often a case of tokenism than true recognition of their value and abilities. The question of who has the right to represent whom also emerges strongly, as does the need to deconstruct and unmask racism in all its forms. While some countries have been re-examining their colonial past for some time, Italy has yet to initiate a profound reflection on how its own colonial endeavors have effectively been erased from the collective imagination. Furthermore, there is clearly a need to reconsider what it means to be Italian today, in a way that severs the ingrained equation of Italian and whiteness and of citizenship and color. Overall, the data indicate a need to move away from a rigid, fixed notion of identity, and decolonize (Walsh, 2017) entrenched binary conceptions that conceal prejudices and injustices at the base of power relationships and structures. Similarly pressing is the necessity of overcoming the hierarchical mechanisms that operate between center and periphery, between hegemony and marginality, between us and others. Another issue to emerge with some force is the use of labels, which encage not only writers but also their literature. Despite these, younger generations are experimenting in the most varied literary genres, including less conventional forms such as graphic novel and rap, thus reflecting the reality of an increasingly multi-ethnic and multicultural society in a continuous state of change.

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