The Italian community of Tunisia from Libyan colonial ambitions to First World War

This paper analyses how the Italian settlers in the French protectorate of Tunisia reacted to the Libyan war and to WWI. The case of this Italian community between 1911 and 1915 is particularly interesting regarding its position in terms of migration, nation-building, and colonialism. Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of 20th century, the Kingdom of Italy experienced mass migration of its workers to foreign countries and, at the same time, it aspired to colonial expansion in Africa. Nationalists wanted to make Italian migrants a tool for national imperialism. According to them, the large number of Italians living in foreign colonial possessions, as in the case of French Maghreb, justified colonialist claims towards Libya. Italian migrants were mobilised by homeland institutions and by the nationalist upper-class in order to take part in a wider national project that involved expatriate communities. The Libyan war and the Great War exacerbated social tensions in the Tunisian society and affected the living conditions of the Italians. Living under French colonial rule, some Italian settlers considered the Libyan conquest as an opportunity for social improvement of their migrant working-class status. After the declaration of war of Italy in 1915, the community was directly involved in the war effort, sending soldiers and money to the motherland. A kind of welfare system was created in order to provide aid to the poorest members of the community, strengthening the migrants’ nationalist feeling. Ultimately, this paper emphasises the community-building function of the war effort, highlighting how social classes and colonial dynamics are intertwined in the Italian nation-building process in Tunisia.