In article <8bfcefe2-7d0b-4867-8b5a-6e0b886eaa4a@d21g2000prf.googlegroups.com>, matthew <matthew.ciuccio@gmail.com> writes: > Hello Everyone fast easy question, I bet, for you folks in the know > about these things. > > My Mother's Father is from an Albanian community in Bari, Italy. > > He has told me this community has been there for hundreds of years, > and he says he is Albanian. Although he has never been to Albania in > his life (nor had any of his family for many generations). > > So does this make him Italian, since the community is in Italy, that > is what I think, or Albanian as he claims? > > I kind of think of the question as if a Chinese person is born in > Chinatown in New York City, they are, American, although culturally > Chinese. > > Any insights into this is would be great, I wonder what the "official" > ruling is on this question. > > Thanks in advanced for anyone who could help. > > Sincerely, > Matthew Don't confuse where he was born (Italy) with whom he was born to. Unless the Italians deny Italian citizenship to the Italian-born children of foreigners living in the country, then he's Italian by birth. That's nationality and a matter of law. On the other hand, if his progenitors, back to when- ever the family came to Italy, consider themselves Albanian and he has been brought up steeped in the culture, traditions and language of Albania, if he believes himself to BE Albanian, then he's Albanian. This has nothing to do with nationality, but with culture/ethnicity. What do you call him? I'd say Albanio-Italian or some such other hyphenated description combining the ethnic with the nationality. Bob -- Robert G. Melson | Rio Grande MicroSolutions | El Paso, Texas ----- Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason so few engage in it. -- Henry Ford