European citizenship, Italian nationality, and the “institutional myth” of return: Argentines and Chileans of Italian descent

Building on ethnographic research undertaken in the Trentino region in Italy, this article analyzes what being a European citizen means for Argentines and Chileans of Italian descent who immigrate to Italy, and therefore to Europe, thanks to the Italian nationality they have inherited from their ancestors. It examines the different uses and representations associated with dual nationality, as well as the scales of belonging that accompany this mobility. In addition, this article illustrates how the acquisition of European citizenship is also contributing to the current resurgence of Italian emigration, with more and more Italians, including those who have come from Latin America, leaving for other EU countries. It also argues that this mobility has brought into question European migration policies, shifting the focus from the rhetoric of border closures to practices of selective immigration. It thus questions the constant redefining of boundaries in Europe between “us” and “them.”