"Not the Usual Ethnic Subjects: The Significance of Guido for Italian American Studies"

Date: March 30th, 2011
Duration: 1h:0m:21s

Despite the fact that Guido – the subject of the popular television show, Jersey Shore – is an ethnic slur often associated with a hedonistic life style, it is an important aspect of Italian American studies.

Dr. Donald Tricarico, Professor of Social Sciences at Queensborough Community College, will address Guido as a contemporary youth subculture in New York City. Over the years, Guido has been identified with dance music and body building in such spaces as nightclubs and gyms while a new identity has crystallized in a struggle for inclusion and respect in American culture.

Dr. Tricarico will also explore the Italian American experience beyond the initial immigrant period and track Guido’s roots to a larger population whose ethnic culture was forged in inner city neighborhoods which are now dispersing throughout the metropolitan New York City.

The study of Guido, then, opens a window on the possibility of Italian American ethnicity in later generations and more mainstream settings.

Dr. Donald Tricarico, Professor of Sociology at Queensborough Community College for more than 30 years, has studied Italian American life in New York City his entire professional career. Born in the Greenwich Village Italian American community, Dr. Tricarico received a Ph.D. in Sociology in 1980 from The New School for Social Research. His published work includes a book on the neighborhood he grew up in as well as numerous book chapters and journal articles. He has also presented papers at professional conferences. He has specialized in Italian American youth culture in New York City since the 1980s.