Vol. 13 No. 1 (2026): Education and Migration in North America (1837-1983)
Monographic Section Articles

A Pedagogy for Crossing the Color Line: Italian-Language Newspapers in Alabama and Louisiana, 1894-1938

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  • Matteo Brera
Matteo Brera
Università degli Studi di Padova, Italia / Seton Hall University, United States
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/rse-19511

Published 2026-06-17

Keywords

  • Italian Ethnic Press,
  • Informal education,
  • racial formation,
  • migrant pedagogy,
  • language teaching

How to Cite

Brera, M. (2026). A Pedagogy for Crossing the Color Line: Italian-Language Newspapers in Alabama and Louisiana, 1894-1938. Rivista Di Storia dell’Educazione, 13(1), 9–20. https://doi.org/10.36253/rse-19511

Copyright (c) 2026 Matteo Brera

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This article examines the pedagogical role of Italian-language newspapers in Alabama and Louisiana between 1894 and 1938, arguing that the ethnic press functioned as an informal but consequential educational system for Italian immigrants navigating the racial order of the Jim Crow South. Positioned as racially ambiguous, Italians relied on newspapers such as Il Gladiatore, the Columbus-Balbo Review, L’Italo-Americano, and La Voce Coloniale to acquire linguistic discipline, civic knowledge and behavioral norms associated with respectability and social acceptance. In contexts where segregated public schooling offered few integrative pathways, these periodicals promoted literacy, standard Italian, moral education and civic participation, framing education as a strategy for negotiating proximity to whiteness. Through editorials, educational campaigns and coverage of cultural and associational life, the press articulated a regional pedagogy that linked language instruction to racial positioning. The article situates these practices within broader debates on migration, education and the uneven regional incorporation of Italians into American whiteness.

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  59. NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
  60. Il Gladiatore, Birmingham, Alabama:
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  63. “Scuole Serali.” 17 October 1925.
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  76. “Students of Italian Descent.” October 1934.
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  92. “Importante lettera aperta agli italiani.” 6 July 1912.
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  95. “Non consumare cibo.” 27 October 1917.
  96. “La cinematografia della guerra.” 10 November 1917.
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  98. “Le scuole del chiaro di luna.” 16 February 1918.
  99. La Voce Coloniale, New Orleans, Louisiana:
  100. Ariol (Frank L. Loria). 1934. “Italian.” 3 February.
  101. Ariol (Frank L. Loria). 1934. “Modern Education.” 24 March.
  102. Ariol (Frank L. Loria). 1934. “The Teaching of Italian.” 30 June.
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  115. OTHER ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS
  116. Frank L. Loria, “The Virgilian Society of New Orleans: A Brief History.” Typescript letter. Frank Leo Loria Papers. Box 1, Correspondence, Pamphlets, Clippings and Misc. New Orleans, LA, Tulane University Archives and Special Collections. Not numbered. Undated.
  117. Frank L. Loria, “La Voce Coloniale (The Colonial Voice).” Typescript letter. Frank Leo Loria Papers. Box 1, “Correspondence, Pamphlets, Clippings and Misc.” New Orleans, LA, Tulane University Archives and Special Collections. Not numbered. Undated.
  118. Frank L. Loria, “Letter to Edward A. Bechtel” [Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Tulane University.] Typescript letter. Signed. Frank Leo Loria Papers. Box 1, “Correspondence, Pamphlets, Clippings and Misc.” New Orleans, LA, Tulane University Archives and Special Collections. Not numbered. 1 February 1934.