The Institute of Italian Studies is pleased to provide a detailed listing of previously published and forthcoming publications that highlight Italian-Canadian culture and history. In most cases, we have provided an ISBN number, so you are able to purchase the book. If you would like further information on the authors or their works, please contact the Institute of Italian Studies by filling out our online form on the Contact Us page.
Previously Published Publications Listing
2011 (New) | Roy piovesana |
| | "Italians of Fort William's East End, 1907-1969"This is the first study to be published on a major ethnic group in Fort William's East End during the period 1907-1969 based on archival collections available in Thunder Bay and on the internet. Italian immigrants settled in the part of the East End commonly referred to as the "Coal Docks". Roy Piovesana describes the development of the Coal Docks from its origins as the location of the Northwest Company's fur trade post, constructed in 1803, to the period of its rapid settlement by various immigrant groups during the first two decades of the twentieth century and writes in vivid detail of the harsh conditions of life in that district. In addition, he explores several questions relating to the experiences of Italian immigrants in the neighbourhood. What changes took place in their personal lives as they moved from being sojourners to immigrants? How did they act collectively to achieve economic and social stability? Why was St. Dominic's Parish an integral part of their lives? What leadership role did Pietro Belluz, Emilio Marino, and Frank Charry play in the affairs of the Italian community? What settlement patterns emerged for Italian immigrants in the Coal Docks and in the area west of the CPR tracks? And finally, to what extent did the elementary school population reflect the demographics of the district? These are some of the themes developed in the Italians of Fort William's East End.
Roy Piovesana is the Director, Archives of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Thunder Bay. He is the author of Robert J. Manion: Member of Parliament for Fort William, 1917-1935; Hope and Charity: An Illustrated History of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Thunder Bay, and co-author with Beth Boegh and Thorold J. Tronrud of Paper and People: An Illustrated History of Great Lakes Paper and Its Successors.
ISBN 978-0-9738042-1-8
|
2005 | jOHN POTESTIO |
 | “The Italians of Thunder Bay” This is the first study to chronicle and analyze the experiences and contributions of Italian immigrants in Thunder Bay from the late nineteenth century to the present. John Potestio, himself an Italian immigrant, presents an engaging narrative from the "bottom up" by empathetically focusing on the everyday lives of early Italian immigrants who settled in Thunder Bay and who struggled to survive economically. Moreover, the narative details the efforts and activities of the Italian community's leadership to establish self-help organizations and to participate in social, political, and religious institutions as a way of coping with the crises of a severe economic depression and two world wars.
John Potestio's "The Italians of Thunder Bay" makes a singular contributio to Ontario's multicultural historical literature by critically examining the successes and failures of a wide array of organizations which, in their own way, attempted to unite Italians and to promote an Italian ethos in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario.
ISBN: 0886630401 |
2002 | John Potestio (edited by) |
 | “In Their Footsteps: Reflections on the Legacy of Italian Immigrants to Thunder Bay”
ISBN: 0886630401 |
Forthcoming Publications Listing
Spring 2012 | John Potestio |
| “The Welch Story” | |
Spring 2012 | John Potestio |
| "The Welch Story" (Italian translation) | |
Winter 2012 | Roy Piovesana |
| "St. Dominic (Italian) Parish: A History" | |
