"We know that the Press is a powerful weapon": Italian-language newspapers defining and representing the Italian communities of Australia (1885-1972)

This thesis analyses the ideological discourse of Italian-language newspapers published in Australia (1885?1972). It looks at the role that newspaper discourses played in building and consolidating collective rituals, narratives and myths which contributed to shape the collective identity of Italian communities in Australia and their sense of belonging. The tools of critical discourse analysis are employed to examine the systems of representation that contributed to define a collective Italian Australian identity, focusing on the cultural and political myth of italianita. The historical and transnational framework enables us to consider newspaper discourses within the specific transnational socio-political contexts of their production.