The Italian diaspora in Tunisia: colonization without colonialism

Abstract Through an ethnographic study of ageing Italians in Tunisia, this article explores the historical development of the Italian diaspora community in Tunisia from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives. It compares two distinct yet interconnected Italian communities: the ‘lost colony’ of La Goulette and the ‘vacation colony’ of Hammamet, emphasizing the daily lives, social interactions and ageing experiences of Italian pensioners in Hammamet alongside those of long-established Italian descendants in La Goulette. The analysis highlights the duality of the Italian community’s identity, torn between its colonial heritage and modern migration patterns, providing a deeper understanding of the relative privilege enjoyed by the Italian diaspora and its complex relationship with the local Tunisian population. The findings emphasize the continuity between historical and contemporary forms of colonization without colonialism , offering insights into the nuanced interplay of race, class and national identity within the context of postcolonial Tunisia. This contribution is in dialogue with ethnographic and historical research on the European diaspora in Africa, which has demonstrated how (neo-)colonial inequalities can arise and evolve beyond the framework of political colonialism.