North/south, east/west : mapping Italianness on television

North/South, East/West focuses on the visual and discursive representation of identity promoted by public and private Italian national television at the turn of the twenty-first century. Michela Ardizzoni examines the role of politics, conglomeration, immigration, and satellite technology in framing discourses of gender, ethnic, and regional identities. In a time of social and political change for Italy, characterized by the increased visibility of ethnic minorities and the rise to political power of Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's largest media mogul,North/South, East/West provides an in-depth textual analysis of current programs and their vision of identity.