Immigration and racism in southern Europe: The Italian case

Abstract

Against the background of an overview of the new patterns of determinants of international migration, the article documents the transition of Italy from being a society of emigration to a society of immigration. It documents the nature of recent migration flows into Italy, and the political debate about these immigrations. In the light of an analysis of the economic and social position of migrants in Italian society, the article charts the increasing expression of racism, and of the anti‐racist movement. The development of a state immigration policy is described. The article concludes by comparing and contrasting the case of Italy with other southern European nation‐states.