Revival of Racism as a Part of Cultural Change Brought About by International Migrations

Abstract

This article deals with the revival of racism in Western European recipient societies, a contemporary phenomenon that stirs up academic, social and political debates. Its underlying assumption is that the contemporary revival of racism forms a part of cultural change brought about by mass international migrations under the conditions of the overall socio-economic transformation. In addition to this general issue, the article explores the idea of European racism as an intrinsic part of European culture. It begins with a discussion of the dilemma with a conceptualization of the notion “racism”, then follows the examination of European racism: its tradition, contemporary revival, and its socio-economic background. Next comes a presentation of the instances of racial prejudice and hostility directed towards immigrants in Western European host societies. The article shows that mass immigration poses a real challenge to the recipient states, and the revival of racism reveals that in some respects these countries have failed to respond to it.