ABSTRACT
In the Italian American case the process of what the classic urban ecologists called 'ethnic succession' is analogous to the aphorism of fish swallowing other fish. In order to demonstrate how Italian central cities have become as American ones cities, an idea once rejected as almost absurd, both old and new approaches are needed. The old is represented by Robert Ezra Park and Ernest Burgess' classical ecological theory of invasion and succession of urban neighborhoods. This chapter focuses on the commercial landscape, store windows and shop signs which are interpreted by ordinary people as ethnic markers. Roland Barthes and Mike Davis clearly indicate the necessity of exploring the role played by space and place in ethnicity and ethnic identity of all self or otherwise identified social groups. The landscapes of both Italian America and Italy are affected by 'natural' and migration-driven demographic forces, as well as the powerful processes of globalization, de-industrialization, and privatization.
