Perverting Autochthony: The Local Festa As a Rite of Institution Informing Public Debate on Migrant Belonging

The intersections of migrant, racialised, and autochthonous belonging were spectacularly evident during an altercation that took place at the annual patron saint festa in Prato, Italy, 2010. Home to one of the largest Chinese migrant communities in Europe, Prato has been living what the locals refer to as ‘a difficult moment’ in history. The economic context is shaped by a beleaguered historical textile industry perceived by locals to have beeen ‘stolen’ by a new cognate 'ready-made fashion' industry championed by the Chinese migrants. The left-leaning local government, in office for over 50 years, was defeated by a new right government (with links to the Lega Nord) on an overtly anti-Chinese migrant campaign, which appealed to notions of autochthonous centuries-old belongings. These political and economic tensions came to a symbolic head at the start of the annual historic procession through the streets of the medieval town center. The left-leaning Provincial Government invited migrants (many with Italian citizenship) to join their section of the procession. The Mayor intervened to publically forbid the migrants from participating, explaining that their presence perverted (snaturava) the historical ritual. Drawing on Bourdieu’s notion of rites of institution, I examine the local government’s representations of the local festa over the past few years to explore the shaping of public debate on Chinese in Italy.