Rituals of Migration: Italians and Irish on the Move

Please note:
This event takes place at
Glucksman Ireland House (1 Washington Mews)

In partnership with
NYU Glucksman Ireland House

Book Presentation
Rituals of Migration
Italians and Irish on the Move
(2025, NYU Press)
Part of The Glucksman Irish Diaspora Series

Edited by
Kevin Kenny, NYU
Maddalena Marinari, Gustavus Adolphus College

The editors in conversation with:
Jill C. Bender, University of North Carolina-Greensboro
Lauren Braun-Strumfels, Cedar Crest College
Hidetaka Hirota, University of California, Berkeley
Gráinne McEvoy, University of Notre Dame
Cian T. McMahon, University of Nevada
Linda Reeder, University of Missouri
Joseph Sciorra, Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College, CUNY
Clara Zaccagnini, independent scholar

In ENGLISH

When people migrate, they often perform social and cultural rituals along the way. Rituals of Migration offers snapshots of Italian and Irish migrants embarking on journeys that changed their lives. The essays in this book examine particular moments, actions, sentiments, and material objects in the process of migration—at the point of departure, in transit, and in the process of return. By examining what people did, thought, felt, and packed on the eve of their departures, during their journeys, and when returning to their homelands, Rituals of Migration reveals how everyone involved in the immigration process, including the migrants themselves, the families they left behind, and those in charge of regulating their mobility, has tried to make sense of a process filled with peril, uncertainty, excitement, and opportunity.

Featuring the editors of Rituals of Migration, Kevin Kenny (NYU) and Maddalena Marinari (Gustavus Adolphus College), in conversation with seven of the authors, Jill Bender (University of North Carolina, Greensboro), Lauren Braun-Strumfels (Cedar Crest College), Hidetaka Hirota (University of California, Berkeley), Grainne McEvoy (Notre Dame University), Cian McMahon (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), Linda Reeder (University of Missouri), Joseph Sciorra (Queen’s College, CUNY), and Clara Zaccagnini (independent scholar).