Largest possible Italian Population in East Africa

Could a "Mestizo" population of Southern Italian-Somali/Eritrean somehow be integrated culturally? It would be a bit of a stress, but the complexion might be similar enough that if they could take on Italian culture fully enough they could pass as close enough. Combined with Italian settlers, you could maybe get a slim majority (or close enough) in Eritrea and parts of Somalia to form a separate polity to the native Africans or petition to stay part of/in association with Italy
I doubt this would ever happen in Somalia or Ethiopia but it might in Libya or Eritrea but again, I doubt its plausibility.
 
Could a "Mestizo" population of Southern Italian-Somali/Eritrean somehow be integrated culturally? It would be a bit of a stress, but the complexion might be similar enough that if they could take on Italian culture fully enough they could pass as close enough. Combined with Italian settlers, you could maybe get a slim majority (or close enough) in Eritrea and parts of Somalia to form a separate polity to the native Africans or petition to stay part of/in association with Italy

Well, I'm only very familiar with the Somali situation, but there actually was a large mixed population of Italo-Somalis who grew up speaking both Italian and Somali from birth, especially in the coastal towns. This was due to a number of reasons, from cultural ones like the exogamy bias in Somali tradition to financial ones like Italian merchants marrying into nomad families to cultivate ties with the powerful Darod and Issaq clans. During the Protectorate, the Italian PCI supporters married heavily into the Somali population, with Italo-Somalis not only being important membership bases for Somali nationalist parties like the S.Y.L but later for the rise of communism in Somalia.


The problem with having an Italicized "Mestizo" class was that from the fascist period onward, Italo-Somalis by and large thought of themselves as lighter Somalis and not darker Italians. Italo-Somalis were marginalized by the colonial government, which pushed them together with their Somali relatives. Adding this to the fact that Italo-Somalis had little connection to the Catholic Church (the primary instrument of Italicization in Somalia) because they were often Muslims in the Sufi tradition or secular communists....eh, I'd have a hard time seeing them wanting to split off from the fully-native population. Somalis themselves saw the mixed Italo-Somali population as Somali, who - tellingly - were not pushed out by Barre with the Italians.
 
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GoulashComrade is right about the mixed Italian-Africans in the Horn of Africa - there's not going to be any "Mestizo" class that becomes integrated into Italian society even if they have a higher position than others in Italy. You might see there being the rise of an Italian-educated African intelligentsia throughout Italian East Africa which acts similarly to the scenario you proposed but this is also unlikely to happen but the Italians (prior to and during fascism) may see these intellectuals as more enlightened African blacks or something who become ministers and governors and whatnot throughout their Italian East African colony.
 
The definition of Mestizo depends upon your perspective. Central Africans (e.g. Congolese) already see plenty of Arab genes in Somalis and Ethiopians with their slender physiques, thin noses and broad, domed foreheads
 
Well, I'm only very familiar with the Somali situation, but there actually was a large mixed population of Italo-Somalis who grew up speaking both Italian and Somali from birth, especially in the coastal towns. This was due to a number of reasons, from cultural ones like the exogamy bias in Somali tradition to financial ones like Italian merchants marrying into nomad families to cultivate ties with the powerful Darod and Issaq clans. During the Protectorate, the Italian PCI supporters married heavily into the Somali population, with Italo-Somalis not only being important membership bases for Somali nationalist parties like the S.Y.L but later for the rise of communism in Somalia.


The problem with having an Italicized "Mestizo" class was that from the fascist period onward, Italo-Somalis by and large thought of themselves as lighter Somalis and not darker Italians. Italo-Somalis were marginalized by the colonial government, which pushed them together with their Somali relatives. Adding this to the fact that Italo-Somalis had little connection to the Catholic Church (the primary instrument of Italicization in Somalia) because they were often Muslims in the Sufi tradition or secular communists....eh, I'd have a hard time seeing them wanting to split off from the fully-native population. Somalis themselves saw the mixed Italo-Somali population as Somali, who - tellingly - were not pushed out by Barre with the Italians.

Mussolini had a... weird relationship with Islam, though. Maybe if his "Protector of Islam" thing goes to his head enough, Italo-Somalis might get a better deal than they did in OTL; it's not like Fascism was a coherent ideology, anyway - get a certain mustachioed Austrian out of the picture, and literally anything could happen. The thing about Fascism, it's that it was whatever ol' Benito wanted it to be.
 
Mussolini had a... weird relationship with Islam, though. Maybe if his "Protector of Islam" thing goes to his head enough, Italo-Somalis might get a better deal than they did in OTL; it's not like Fascism was a coherent ideology, anyway - get a certain mustachioed Austrian out of the picture, and literally anything could happen. The thing about Fascism, it's that it was whatever ol' Benito wanted it to be.

There was a brief moment where it looked like the Italians were going to take in the Italo-Somalis as a subordinate class that would help administer the region (or die in their wars for them) with one Italo-Somali named Giorgio Marincola posthumously getting the Gold Star of the Republic for fighting and dying as an anti-fascist partisan in Italy.

The question is: how likely is Benny the Moose to keep up the older policy on Italo-Somalis?
 
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There was a brief moment where it looked like the Italians were going to take in the Italo-Somalis as a subordinate class that would help adminstier the region (or die in their wars for them) with one Italo-Somali named Giorgio Marincola posthumously getting the Gold Star of the Republic for fighting and dying as an anti-fascist partisan in Italy.

The question is: how likely is Benny the Moose to keep up the older policy on Italo-Somalis?
I could see the same happening for Italian-Eritreans but would it happen for Italian-Ethiopians?
 
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