From marginality to integration
Appropriation of space through sociolinguistic competence in Laila Wadia’s Amiche per la pelle
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9815357 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Margherita Pampinella (Towson University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 74-91 |
| Publication date | 2015-05-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Forum Italicum A Journal of Italian Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0014-5858 • E-ISSN: 2168-989X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0014585815569488 |
| OpenAlex | W2000423741 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
In her novel Amiche per la pelle, Indian-Italian writer Laila Wadia tells the stories of four immigrant women as they learn Italian in Trieste. Wadia uses space to define the characters’ marginality, and to describe their journey as they seek integration into society. The depiction of space is also employed by Wadia to hint at the potential for the literature of migration in Italian to become an integral part of Italian literature. The article analyzes the learning experience of the four women within the sociolinguistic framework of the community of practice. The acquisition of sociolinguistic competence allows the apprentice in the community of practice to move from a peripheral, marginal position to a more central one. According to the author, Wadia points to a possible and desirable future when migrants find a central space and gain full membership in the community of practice of their adopted country through mutual engagement and shared goals, just as literature of migration in Italian will one day find legitimate inclusion in the Italian literary patrimony
Appropriation · Community of practice · Competence (human resources · Linguistics · Social science · Sociolinguistics · Sociology · Space (punctuation) · History · Italian Fascism and Post-war Society · Linguistic Studies and Language Acquisition · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology
| Highly cited | No |
|---|