Italian settler colonisers: Emanuele Ertola, ‘Italian Settlers and Decolonization’, in Maddalena Marinari (ed.), Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Migration Studies, OUP, 2026 | settler colonial studies blog

Italian settler colonisers: Emanuele Ertola, ‘Italian Settlers and Decolonization’, in Maddalena Marinari (ed.), Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Migration Studies, OUP, 2026

15Apr26

Abstract: The migration and adaptation of Italian settlers during and after decolonization offer valuable insights into the sociopolitical dynamics of empire’s end and its enduring legacies. Italian settlers navigated diverse trajectories, including repatriation to a war-torn metropole; adaptation to postwar Italy’s socioeconomic challenges; and continued settlement in former colonies such as Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Libya. These experiences reveal how colonial systems unraveled over time, complicating narratives of decolonization as a singular political event. Instead, Italian decolonization emerges as a prolonged and multifaceted process, shaped by migration, identity, and memory across generations and geographies. Comparative perspectives situate the Italian case within broader global patterns of settler colonial transitions, highlighting similarities and differences with other colonial powers, such as France, Portugal, and Britain. Theories from settler colonial studies frame this analysis, emphasizing the persistence of colonial structures and the challenges of dismantling settler hierarchies. Repatriation, often framed as a return to the homeland, was marked by logistical, economic, and emotional complexities, blurring the boundaries between exile and homecoming. Meanwhile, those settlers who remained in former colonies grappled with precarious positions in postcolonial societies, negotiating shifting power dynamics and evolving social relationships. This exploration underscores the importance of understanding decolonization not merely as the transfer of sovereignty but as an ongoing transformation embedded in cultural, economic, and institutional frameworks. The trajectories of Italian settlers, whether repatriating to Italy or remaining in former colonies, can only be fully understood within the context of decolonization as a long-term process. By examining these experiences over an extended timeline, it becomes clear how migration, memory, and identity intertwined to shape the collapse of Italy’s colonial empire and its enduring legacies in both metropolitan and postcolonial societies.

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