Fighting Denial: New Anti-Racist Mobilisation in Spain

Abstract

A clear contrast between the north and the south appears in the literature on anti-racist mobilisation in Europe (Favell 1998; Geddes 2003). This divide represents two different models resting on the different timing and nature of migration, and resulting in different policies to fight racial and ethnic discrimination in European countries. In the north – typically the United Kingdom and the Netherlands – the presence of second-generation migrants is accompanied by specific policies to deal with migration, racism and discrimination. In contrast, in the south new migration flows result in ad hoc reactive policies in the form of regulatory campaigns. Anti-racist mobilisation in the south is characterised by the presence of both a ‘weak’ state and a weak civil society. The dominant themes of mobilisation concentrate on new migrants’ primary needs: regularisation campaigns and residential status, housing problems and unemployment (Danese 1998). In the southern model, certain actors play a dominant role. Some scholars emphasise the role of Catholic church-related organisations, such as Caritas, in countries like Italy or Spain (Favell 1998).