Quel giorno a Shongopovi: pensieri e ricordi sui “miei” indiani

Italian interest in things American Indian is literally centuries-old. The incorporation of American Indian studies into Italian American Studies, however, is a much more recent phenomenon. It was only in the late 1960’s and then during the 1970’s that Italian scholars of American literature began to take a strong interest in American Indian topics and issues. The essay highlights, from an autobiographical perspective, the historical and institutional circumstances through which American Indian studies became first a legitimate and later an important part of the Italian tradition of American Studies. From his early fascination with the mythic Wild West to his involvement with the “Indiani Metropolitani” movement of the late 1970’s, the author describes how a unique mix of personal, political, and historical factors turned him into a student of contemporary American Indian literature. Writing from an avowed self-reflective perspective, the essay traces the contours and achievements of American Indian studies—and especially American Indian literary studies—in Italy over the past few decades.