The present paper examines from a humanistic sociological perspective (Znaniecki, 1998; Smolicz, 1999) the cultural maintenance and self—identification of a group of mostly second‐generation young adults of Italian ancestry in South Australia. A model of cultural types applicable to multicultural societies such as Australia is proposed by correlating measures of the Italian language and cultural systems activated by the participants with the ideological value orientations they express towards such systems. The two indices produce four general cultural types: Active Italophiles, Inactive Italophiles, Active Italophobes and Inactive Italophobes. Whereas the majority of participants (74 percent) can be defined ‘Italophiles’, this group was almost equally divided between Active Italophiles and Inactive Italophiles. The remaining participants (26 percent) can be distinguished into the 2.6 percent of participants who activate Italian language and culture (the Active Italophobes) and the 23.1 percent who do not (the Inactive Italophobes). Cross—classifications show that the participants' formal study of Italian and their parents' age at migration may be contributing factors in the process of cultural maintenance and identity. The paper argues that the transmission of Italian language and culture to the third generation in Australia will rely mainly on the ‘secure ethnic types’ (Active Italophiles) assisted by the ‘ideational ethnic types’ (Inactive Italophiles) especially if these enter into endogamous life partnerships.
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