The Madonna of 115th Street: Faith and Community in Italian Harlem, 1880-1950

by Robert A. Orsi

In a masterful evocation of Italian Harlem and the men and women who lived there, Robert Orsi examines how the annual festa of the Madonna of 115th Street both influenced and reflected the lives of the celebrants. His prize-winning book offers a new perspective on lived religion, the place of religion in the everyday lives of men, women, and children, the experiences of immigration and community formation, and American Catholicism. This edition includes a new introduction by the author that outlines both the changes that Italian Harlem has undergone in recent years and significant shifts in the field of religious history. Awarded the Alpha Sigma Nu National Book Prize (sponsored by Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States) for outstanding book in the humanities. Winner of the 1986 American Catholic Historical Association's John Gilmary Shea Prize.

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, School, New York, Cultural, American History

287 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This social history of Italian East Harlem reads like a novel: a beautiful blend of religious history, immigrant history, and cult feminism. A little bit Ellis Island, a little bit Goodfellas, this book will make you crave Southern Italian cooking and wish you were Catholic.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the many penitents he renders, Robert Orsi sees all things in "The Madonna of 115th Street."

A scholar of things religious, and connoisseur of matters Italian-American, Orsi combines these two interests so that one defines and explains the other.

To the uninitiated, the Madonna of Mount Carmel is just a statue like countless others throughout Europe and the Americas that interprets the Virgin Mary in plaster relief.

But in Orsi's erudite hands La Madonna (and the faith she engenders) becomes an analytical tool that unlocks doors to discussion on Italian-American family life, the role of work, the trials of immigration, the history of colonization in the old country, and, of course, food.

His base of scholarly operations is the now-vanished Italian East Harlem, but those raised in the culture will recognize themselves, their families, and neighborhood networks in its residents.

The author did years of in-depth research, but found most of his truths on the streets of Little Italy. The resulting interviews may have informed the text, but don't make many actual appearances.

Much of "Madonna" is given over to Orsi's ornate reasoning, and even speculation, about the meanings of the religious icon, and how they can be discerned in the behaviors of mid-century Italian-Americans in urban New York.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. Somebody had to do it and his thoughts mostly ring true. Where they don't, the opportunity for debate and discussion naturally arise, and that is a second service the author rendered.

Don't give this book to your Aunt Rosina in Coney Island unless she's got a college degree and a sociological bent. "Madonna" is a scholarly text that can be dense as a zeppole with academic jargon or leavened as a sfogliatelle with deeply meditative conclusions.

But it is a delightful trove of considerations on the Italian-American and immigrant experience; a beautiful piece of history that might have otherwise been lost to those who care them.

[Neal Spadafora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew I would enjoy Orsi's book when he stated in the introduction to the third edition that his intellectual hero was EP Thompson (xiii). The field of working-class history, that Thompson developed so well, was beautifully epitomized in The Madonna of 115th Street. In fact, my favorite aspect of Orsi's The Madonna of 115th Street was his prescient and well-researched connection between the class dynamics of Italian Harlem and the often elitist and reactionary nature of Roman Catholicism. For instance, Orsi continually mentions that Italian catholics in Harlem differentiated between 'religion' and 'church.' Such attentiveness, on Orsi's part, speaks to how the idiosyncratic and at times 'heretical' aspects of the celebration of Madonna are caught in a milieu of working-class politics, the political, economic, and ecclesial disenfranchisement of Italian catholics, and patterns of immigration. With Orsi's attention day-to-life of religious communities, critical understandings of how political, economic, and racial dynamics influence religious practices, and delineation between 'official doctrine' and religious practices, he illustrates religious studies at its best. Not only was it fascinating to see how the racial and class differences between Irish, Italian, and American catholics played no small influence in their everyday religious practices and habits, but it was also intriguing to read Orsi's connection of the festa of Madonna with lay, non-clerical organization in southern Italy.

Similarly, as my last name might indicate, my grandfather, an Italian catholic, came from Sicily to Ellis island in the 1930s; and his father came to Ellis from Sicily in 1915. Hence, as I read of southern Italian immigrants who came to New York City during a time of turmoil, Orsi's book felt something like a chronicle of my family's past. Moreover, my maternal grandmother and grandfather came from Austria in the 1940s; as such, Orsi's history of immigration and religion was both intellectually moving and oddly emotional.

[Brendan Sheehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While being a surprisingly moving monograph about religious devotion among southern Italian immigrants in New York, I felt there were certain aspects that could have been further explored that Orsi only briefly explored. Chiefly, if the event was about ensuring the intergenerational strength of the domus and the public relationship with Italian Harlem what were the implications of the declining Italian participation? Was the domus able to survive without the religious values being celebrated annually at the celebration? Furthermore, the relationships among the races in Harlem was often alluded to but I wanted more on this subject as well. I also never need to read the word ambivalent because Orsi used the word seemingly twice every page.

Yet, Orsi discusses this religious event and the faithful with appropriate distance. He does not openly celebrate the event but he take seriously the religious, moral, and ethnic values of those who were involved. I felt it made the discussion about women particularly nuanced. An event and a community that celebrate their strength but only for their ability to adhere to a traditional role. The event, as shown by Orsi, was able to celebrate women’s power but also their powerlessness within the family structure. Not only a great account of religious beliefs among a community this was equally a good social history of southern Italian immigrants.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating if ultimately uneven history of religious traditions in Italian Harlem at the turn of the 20th century. The first two chapters alone are worth the price of admission, as Orsi beautifully describes Italian Harlem and its festa of the Madonna. From there the book gets more repetitive and less focused, falling victim to an odd organizational choice as well as Orsi's own efforts to say more about Italian immigrants' family lives than his sources really bear out.

This is a groundbreaking book, one of the first works of American religious history to focus on the lived religion of its subjects and use ethnographic tools in doing so. As with many other trendsetters, you get some warts that are more noticeable as a result of the method being perfected by those following behind.

[Rhiannon Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A careful exploration of the development of a religious tradition, this has become a classic for a reason (as discussed in the introductions to the second and third editions, among other places). Orsi works hard to situate the rituals in their community context, looking at immigration and the creation of new ancient traditions in a way which anticipates Tweed's work on crossing and dwelling, and at the end drawing some conclusions about the theology of the situation in a way which relates to Astley's later work on ordinary theology. And yes, I really did read it in one day - I had six hours on the train!

[Lmitrano · Rating 3 out of 5]

In an evocation of Italian Harlem and the men and women who lived there, Robert Orsi examines how the annual "festa" of the Madonna of 115th Street both influenced and reflected the lives of the celebrants. His prize-winning work seeks to offer a new perspective on lived religion; the place of religion in the everyday lives of men, women and children; the experiences of immigration and community formation; and American Catholicism. This edition includes a new introduction by the author that outlines both the changes that Italian Harlem has undergone since the publication of the first edition and significant shifts in the field of religious history.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

i had read parts of this before, and it was good to read in full. orsi’s writing style is so compelling and the depth with which he takes on the world of harlem here is really fascinating. it’s no surprise after reading this book to know that he has had such an impact on the study of religion. and yet, i’m also a product of a couple generations past him now where i’ve become skeptical of the weight he places on categories like “meaning” and the “center” of a community. the book, in this way, is really eliadean in its approach to thinking about what religion is. but while i have critiques, i still think this is a must read book all of these years later.

[Mariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally getting to this years after a friend recommended it to me...I really like the way it connects broader patterns of immigration with a very specific community/place that I hope to be able to explore with my Urban History class next year. It feels classic- a happy substitute for Streetcar Suburbs- that will illuminate a part of the city my students won't know much about while introducing some important local and urban history themes. I'm not as concerned with the religious history component, but it might be something to draw upon when connecting to later readings about Mumbai...

[Delaney Dermody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for a religion class - definitely one of the more interesting readings I’ve been assigned. Incredibly well-written and easily digestible history of Italian Harlem and the annual festa of la Madonna. Learned a lot!

[Geoff VanDeusen · Rating 5 out of 5]

hard to read actually

[Karis · Rating 5 out of 5]

something about religious ethnography moves me greatly. and orsi's theory of presence is in a kind of delicious tension with chidester's theory of authentic fakes, which is great for me

[Kamran Ahmed · Rating 1 out of 5]

DOMUS I LOVE THE DOMUS DOMUS DOMUS DOMUS.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This affectionate look at the history and culture of Italian East Harlem begins with one of the most startling rituals I've ever read. Until the twenties, when it was abolished, the community lifted a woman who was carried down the aisle of the church, with her hands on the floor. Unfortunately, Orsi never explains what that ritual meant or where it came from. He explains plenty else: the conflicts between home and the threatening world outside (including not only Protestants and Jews, but "other" Catholics--Irish and Poles), the tension between a culture that values family above all in a country where work is paramount, the ambivalence toward education, the complex attitude toward the Mafia who keep peace at home but are known for their violence. The part about family dynamics is almost Freudian in its dissection of father, mother, and youthful rebellion, not all of it expressed. Little Italy, after a good run, is ever less Italian as those who make money move out of the cramped area and are replaced by other ethnic groups; in its time, it was fascinating enough that it inspired at least two novels.

[Hotavio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Orsi look into what he terms popular religion, Catholic practices which are folk oriented and not shared by or even condoned by the organized Catholic church. The subject in question is old Italian Harlem's Madonna of Mount Carmel, an object which continues to inspire the devotion of immigrants after its arrival from Italy in the late 1800s. By examining the familial and value structure of the first generations of Italian immigrants, Orsi examines the connections to this idol and draws conclusions on its power to the community.
The subject is incredibly interesting and one to which I can relate being surrounded by images of Mexican folk Catholicism. However, I was a little dismayed by the girth of this book. There are around 70 pages of forward and the book itself is unnecessarily long. The author beats the concept of the domus to pieces. While central to the author's argument, it could have been more concise. The book is easily 100 pages too long.

[Dan Gorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. Orsi uses ethnographic interviews and oral history to capture religious life in old Italian Harlem from 1880 to 1950. With lots of thick description of life there, particularly in regard to the Madonna festa held on 115th street every year, Orsi shows that virtually all aspects of daily life were reflected in religious practice. Daily concerns at home, in marriage, etc., all affected the way people worshipped; all were pervaded with aspects of Catholicism. The festa is a microcosm of the bigger world. Orsi hews closely to the gathering of empirical evidence and personal testimonies, a clear orientation toward social history and an appreciation of daily life. But at the same time Orsi cares about more abstract ideas of cultural history, like women's history, power dynamics, and the need to study domestic life and gender, topics that religious historians before Orsi often ignored. It's great fun, and quite informative, to read this book!

[Tara]

Almost skipped the introductions, but my conscience got the better of me (it *was* a school book, after all). Ended up liking one of his intros almost as much as the book itself. He had some rather radical observations on historical methods, brought about in part through his realization that his discussions around the kitchen talking to old Italian women--and the spaghetti they serve him--are just as important to his project as the seemingly more academic pursuits, like reading records and diaries, etc. Also, this book was nearly impossible to put down, which is saying something, considering it was the history of a festival I'd never heard of and is mostly celebrated by Italian-American Catholics in New York. I wish more historians wrote like him.

[Andrew Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orsi does accomplishes an impressive task in this text by exploring the relationship between culture and religion. Using an Italian immigrant community in Harlem as his case study, he shows the ways in which the community blurs the lines between religion and culture. Putting the book down I had to reconcile the fact that my own religious beliefs are saturated with culture, well beyond anything I can even distinguish. I give Orsi an excellent rating because the book is fun, clear, academic, and pioneering. I would recommend the book to anyone interested in religion and culture.

[Roland Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

American Catholics frequently complained the Italians of East Harlem. Their neighborhood was notorious for its mafia syndicates and was an immigrant quarter with overcrowded apartments and too many people who didn’t speak English. They only went to church for baptisms, weddings, and funerals, and rarely tithed and did not support Catholic schools as Polish or Irish Catholics did. But these people really were extremely religious, Orsi insists.

See my full review here: http://wordsbecamebooks.com/2014/12/0...

[Gabriella Bugge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great and easily accessible scholarly read arguing that the true form of religion is not necessarily bound inside the walls of a church. Coming from an Italian-Catholic background, Orsi's observations were spot-on and I found myself relating to its contents in more ways than one. His argument is incredibly well thought out and written.

[Thomas Curry · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is quite rare for a scholar to write a book which manages to be at the same time a work of his respective field (in this case, history) and genuinely exciting to read. Robert Orsi has done just that. As a work of history it is superb and entertaining. More than once I found myself examining my own religious devotions. Well done.

[Bryan Cottle · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a reason this book is heavily acclaimed in the religious studies field. It goes to show the power of oral histories in religious history and the value of both quantitative and qualitative research.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

More history ought to be written this way. Orsi does a fantastic job of painting the lives of ordinary people to tell his story, and in so doing his work is more profound than most. Definitely a Herodotus as opposed to a Thucydides.

[Nicole C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The advent of the Italian festivals in American culture during the heyday of Italians living in Harlem.

[Richard Houchin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful work of modern anthropology!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stuff! Very well-written. Excellent use of documents and interviews. Really wish I could have seen one of these celebrations! Candles shaped like body parts - crazy!

[Helen Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dry but a thorough look at Italian-American culture in Harlem in the late 19th and early 20th century.

[Dane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite interesting.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book to understand modern Italians in Italy since little has changed. It is an interesting history about Italian Americans adjusting to America and a Catholic Church run by the Irish.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great book for pastors who want o think about the popular piety of the parish. It is very interesting how the Italian women would express their spirituality in Italian Harlem, New York.