From Canton Ticino to County of Sacramento: An historical ethnography of a migrant Italian-Swiss population

• Main Author: Furnis, Carol Lynn
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-1999
• Subjects: Archaeology; Cultural anthropology
• ISBN: 059943807X; 9780599438071

During the mid- to late-1800s, Sacramento, California was a young city largely populated by international migrants. One small group of Italian-Swiss immigrants came to Sacramento from the Swiss province of Ticino. The group is described within the framework of a historical ethnography, for the years 1852 to 1900. Issues of "ethnic boundary maintenance" and European-American migration strategies are addressed. Through extensive historical documentary research and analysis of artifacts from one Ticinese commercial site, the author has sought clues about the lives of the Sacramento Ticinese, and beyond this, about their manipulation of ethnic identity to survive their transplantation. Finally, the immigrants' strategies of migration are investigated. The primary conclusion is that the Sacramento Italian-Swiss did not employ a strong group ethnic identity in order to succeed, but did rely on relatives, well-timed migrating strategies, and participation in American social institutions to get by in the United States.