ABSTRACT
The Italian diaspora in South Africa has received limited attention in academic circles, compared to the Italian diasporas in other parts of the world, probably because of the unique geographical and socio-political factors explored in depth in this book. This unique community was born out of migration from the Global North to the Global South, and it differs from other Italian migrations to Africa, which were mostly linked to Italy's colonial enterprise. This chapter provides the context to the research project on which The Italian Diaspora in South Africa: Nostalgia, Identity, and Belonging in the Second and Third Generations is based. It discusses the methodological choices and challenges that arose during the data collection process and presents an overview of the content of the different chapters in the book.
