The article reconstructs the historical evolution of the anti-racist movement in Italy, focusing on the issue of migration policies. Anti-racism spreads in parallel with the development of foreign immigration, which in Italy occurs intensively after 1989. A national public debate on migration policies develops in response to growing migratory phenomena. The anti-racist movement contributes to the orientation of this debate and to the consequent legislative choices.
The article examines the main historical phases between 1989 and 2002. During this period, the anti-racist movement was challenged by the emergence of racist impulses, the increasingly widespread integration of immigrants into the world of work, the quantitative growth of foreign immigration and the increasingly evident politicisation of the migration issue.
This is a period in which profound social and political transformations are taking place in Italy: the history of the anti-racist movement can help to understand and contextualise them.