The presenter is Patricia Boscia
Her topic for this community discussion:
The goal of Upstate International Month is to enhance our understanding, acceptance, and celebration of our cultural diversity. In its essence, this month is really a celebration of our diverse ethnic/cultural identities. But what is the very meaning of the ethnic identities we celebrate? What are the defining features of ethnicity and their significance to our self-definition, personal choices, and our relations with others from different ethnic/cultural groups? Do ethnicities necessarily lose authenticity and value in our multicultural environment, or do they rather become more salient because of it, and why? Why does ethnicity sometimes become a source of antagonism and division in interpersonal and in social relations? Finally, how does gender and social standing influence our ethnic experience?
Patricia’s Bio:
My name is Patricia Boscia. I was born and grew up in Italy but I have lived in the USA for many years. My professional life and my career have been mostly in the world of academia, in Italy as a foreign language instructor and in this country as a sociology professor. After my retirement, I embarked in a very different field, creating a small business of gourmet Italian desserts. This later endeavor in some way reflects my experience as an immigrant, one that combines a deep love for this country with the need to affirm and express some aspects of my personal identity, which is still anchored, at its core, to my cultural background. My diaspora has not been easy, but has provided me the gift of a unique perspective, a “between two worlds” standpoint that has influenced positively my inner growth and shaped my diaspora experience.
