My research focuses on the history of migration and diaspora, particularly the Italian experience in postwar Canada and Latin America. I deeply examine the relationships between immigration, labour, and community formation. I am also interested in public and economic history, heritage, digital scholarship, and the ways historical research can contribute to public understanding and community development.
My Research Projects
“Blink and You’ll Miss It”: How Italians Transformed Sault Ste. Marie”
Master of Arts in History Major Research Project (MRP), York University.
The focal argument of this paper is that in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s decades, the Italian influence in Sault Ste. Marie became so strong that it completely transformed the city, expanding far past the historic West End neighbourhood. It intersects discussions about Sault Ste. Marie’s steel, railway, and paper industries with wider conversations about Italian migration to Canada in the postwar period. The major gap in the scholarship that this Major Research Project fills is how Sault Ste. Marie fits into wider discussions about Italian immigration during the postwar period. Chapter-by-Chapter Breakdown:
Chapter One: “Forging an Industrial Future (1890-1945)”: discusses how early sojourning Italians contributed to the operations of Sault Ste. Marie’s foundational industries: the Algoma Central Railway, Abitibi Pulp & Paper Company, and Algoma Steel.
Chapter Two: “Building the West End Community (1890-1945)”: focuses on the Italian community overcoming ethnic tensions and discrimination, continuing to expand their influence through the founding of the Guglielmo Marconi Italian Mutual Benefit Society and the Giuseppe Verdi Lodge.
Chapter Three: “The Three Titans of Industry (1945-1980)”: continues the story of Sault Ste. Marie’s industries, adding the contribution of Italians where official records left them invisible. In the postwar, Italians demonstrated upward mobility as evidenced by Algoma Central Railway payroll records, but were still victims of the same systems of discrimination found in the prewar period.
Chapter Four: “Ethnic Halls, Social Clubs, and Church Bells (1945-1980)”: argues that the Italian community was at the peak of its influence during the postwar period. Here, the Verdi Lodge and Marconi Society expanded their outreach past the West End, becoming community pillars that brought Italians across the city together.
Chapter Five: “Decline and Legacy (1980-2026)”: explains that the disappearance of the West End neighbourhood in the 1980s coupled with population decline meant that the postwar expansion of Italians was truly exceptional.
Ongoing Research Projects / Working Papers
Focuses on the postwar immigration of Italians from the provinces of Southern Italy, first to Venezuela, then to areas in and around Northern Ontario
Seeks the connection of three seemingly unrelated places into one cohesive narrative
Addresses the push factors that initially led these emigrants to leave Italy in the 1950s and 1960s
What legacy and contributions did Italians make in Venezuela during the time?
How and why did they end up somewhere as remote as Sault Ste Marie and Northern Ontario in general?
Italian Postwar Immigration: The Venezuelan Connection
Initially presented at the ANTH 6300 Peer Conference - Thursday November 27, 2025
No Such Thing as an Italian: Regionalism and Modern Italian Identity in Toronto
Initially presented at the New Frontiers Graduate Conference - Thursday February 19, 2026
In their small agricultural villages in Italy, minuscule distinctions between people of other regions, sometimes even the village nearby, carried major implications. However, once these rural labourers entered the diverse cultural landscape of Toronto, the factors that united them together with other Italians outweighed the distinctions that kept them apart.
Key Questions:
How important was regionalism to Italians in the postwar period?
Did ideas of regionalism carry over to Toronto? To what extent?
How did metropolitan Toronto change these ideals? Does regionalism still remain important today?
Let’s Get in Touch!
I'm always open to meaningful conversations, new ideas, and opportunities to collaborate. Whether you're reaching out about research, consulting, community initiatives, or simply to introduce yourself, I'd be delighted to connect.
Additionally, I can provide you and/or your team with the following services:
Research: Designing and delivering research and briefing materials that help organizations strengthen programs, partnerships, and their long-term strategies.
Project Coordination: Planning and coordinating projects that create measurable impact.
Grant Development: Identifying funding opportunities and preparing compelling grant proposals.
Stakeholder Engagement: Building partnerships between organizations, communities, and institutions.
Communications: Creating reports, presentations, and content that connects with diverse audiences.
Event Coordination: Supporting conferences, workshops, and community events from planning through delivery.