fight for

[navi]

Are these sentences correct:

1) He fights to be Italian.
2) He fights for being Italian.


I suppose the idea is that he fights to maintain his Italian identity, probably in adverse conditions. But is that the meaning of the sentences? And do they mean the same?

Gratefully,
Navi

[Erik_Kowal]

I wouldn't say either of those things.

For one thing, he doesn't have to fight to be Italian if he already possesses Italian nationality.

Besides, I don't think those descriptions would fall naturally from the lips of a native speaker; they don't sound idiomatic.

Instead, I would most likely say something like "He fights to stay feeling Italian" / "He fights to maintain his sense of {being Italian/ Italianness / Italian identity} / "He fights to keep his Italian traditions [going]". And so on.