Abstract
During the 1970s Italy changed from being a country of mass emigration to one of mass immigration, taking over from Germany the role of Europe's main recipient of immigrants from less developed countries. By 1991 the officially registered foreign population in Italy stood at 860,000; however, clandestine migrants push the real figure above 1 million. Italy was generally unprepared for this immigration and policy has been slow to evolve. Analysis of residence permit data show that the immigrants come increasingly from Third World, especially African, countries, and that there is a relative concentration in the north of Italy. One third of the immigrants are Moslem. Employment data are scarce but indicate that around two–thirds are involved in low-grade service sector activities (street-trading, domestic service, hotel work etc.). There is a high degree of occupational specialisation amongst certain national groups (Senegalese street-hawkers, Tunisian fishermen, Filipino domestics etc.). The immaturity of the immigration is also revealed by marked gender and age assymetry. Five main causes are suggested as being behind the immigration: ease of entry; Italy's increasing prosperity; segmentation of the Italian labour market, opening up specific niches for immigrant employment; dominance of push factors from the countries of origin; and the demographic collapse in Italy. Within Italy, the reaction to immigration has not been very favourable. Opinion polls indicate that Italians have mainly negative and stereotyped views of immigrants and there is disturbing evidence of growing racism. Further inflows of immigrants are likely, whatever policies Italy attempts to put in place.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Ambrosini, M.: Il lavoro degli immigrati: analisi del caso lombardo. Studi Emigrazione 29, 105, 2–20 (1992)
Andall, J.: New migrants, old conflicts: the recent immigration into Italy. The Italianist 10, 151–174 (1990)
Arena, G.: Lovoro femminile ed immigrazione: dai paesi Afro-Asiatici a Roma. Studi Emigrazione 20, 70, 177–189 (1983)
Ascoli, U.: Migration of workers and the labour market: is Italy becoming a country of immigration? In: Rogers, R. (ed.), Guests Come To Stay. Westview, Boulder 1986.
Barsotti, O.: La Presenza Straniera in Italia: il caso della Toscana. Franco Angeli, Milan 1988.
Böhning, W.R.; Maillat, D.: The Effects of the Employment of Foreign Workers. OECD, Paris 1974.
Bonifazi, C.: Italian attitudes and opinions towards foreign migrants and migration policies. Studi Emigrazione 29, 105, 21–42 (1992)
Bonifazi, C.; Golini, A.: Gli italiani e l'immigrazione straniera: quadro di riferimento e risultati di una indagine d'opinione. In: Cocchi, G. (ed.), Stranieri in Italia. Istituto Cattaneo, Bologna 1990.
Campani, G.: Du Tiers-Monde à l'Italie: une nouvelle immigration féminine. Révue Européenne des Migrations Internationales 5, 2, 29–47 (1989)
Censis: Immigrati e Società Italiana. Cnel, Rome 1991.
King, R.: Population mobility: emigration, return migration and internal migration. In: Williams, A. M. (ed.), Southern Europe Transformed. Harper and Row, London 1984.
King, R.: Italy reaches zero population growth. Geography 78, 1, 63–69 (1993)
King, R.; Rybaczuk, K.: Southern Europe and the international division of labour: from emigration to immigration. In: King, R. (ed.), The New Geography of European Migrations. Belhaven, London 1993.
Lucrezio-Monticelli, G.: L'appartenenza religiosa degli immigrati esteri in Italia. Servizio Migranti 2, 3, Dossier 2 (1992)
Melotti, U.: L'immigrazione straniera in Italia: da caso anomalo a caso esemplare. In: Cocchi, G. (ed.), Stranieri in Italia. Istituto Cattaneo, Bologna 1990.
Montanari, A; Cortese, A.: Third World immigrants in Italy. In: King, R. (ed.), Mass Migrations in Europe: the Legacy and the Future. Belhaven, London 1993a.
Montanari, A.; Cortese, A.: South to North migration in a Mediterranean perspective. In: King, R. (ed.), Mass Migrations in Europe: the Legacy and the Future. Belhaven, London 1993b.
Pittau, F.; Reggio, M.: Il caso Albania: immigrazione a due tempi. Studi Emigrazione 29, 106, 227–239 (1992)
Raffaele, G.: Le immigrate extracomunitarie in Italia. Studi Emigrazione 29, 106, 194–226 (1992)
SOPEMI: Trends in International Migration 1992. OECD, Paris 1992.
Venturini, A.: An interpretation of Mediterranean migration. Labour 2, 1, 125–154 (1988)
Venturini, A.: Immigration et marché du travail en Italie: données recentes. Revue Européenne des Migrations Internationales 8 (supplement), 145–161 (1992)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
King, R. Recent immigration to Italy: Character, causes and consequences. GeoJournal 30, 283–292 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00806719
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00806719