Racial Criminalization of Migrants in the 21st Century

Over the last two decades in the West, there has been a significant increase in the arrest, imprisonment and detention of migrants. The racial criminalization and victimization of migrants and Roma people has led judicial authorities, local governments, the police, mass media and the general population to perceive migrants and 'gypsies' as responsible for a wide range of offences. Taking into consideration the political and cultural conditions that affect and interconnect societies of emigration and immigration, the contributors examine and compare a range of cases in Europe and the United States. The contributions demonstrate how the persecution of the 'current enemy' is the 'total political fact' of the 21st century in that it ensures consensus and business, or what might be termed the 'crime deal' of today. This provocative book has international appeal and will be a valuable resource for academics, researchers and policymakers with an interest in migration and social and ethnic control.

Salvatore Palidda is Professor of Sociology at the University of Genoa, Italy. He is the author of many publications on migrations and social control, and since 1995 has directed a number of European projects related to the themes explored in this book. His most recent book (co-edited with Alessandro Dal Lago) is Conflict, Security and the Reshaping of Society: The Civilization of War (2010).