Enemies Within: Italian and Other Internees in Canada and Abroad

In the recent campaign led by the National Congress of Italian Canadians to gain redress for compatriots interned during the Second World War, leaders claimed that the Canadian state had waged a 'war against ethnicity.' Their version of history, argue the editors of this volume, drew on selective evidence and glossed over the fascist past of some Italian Canadians. The editors have assembled scholars who, while having diverse views, seek to stimulate informed debate. This volume is the first study of its kind to examine not only the formulation and uneven implementation of internment policy, but the social and gender history of internment. It brings together national and international perspectives to offer differing interpretations of Italian internment in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. It invites comparisons between Italian Canadians and Canada's other internees, including Communists, German Canadians, Ukrainian Canadians and Jewish refugees.