Italian Immigration and class politics - Essay Example

There were not many programs in the media that dealt with migrants. Researches done by Massimo Ghirelli as well as Van Dijk showed how the media stereotype migrants. The national newspapers are closely connected to political and financial groups who influence what is published. Opinions on immigration reflect the policies of the governing political party. Immigration into Italy can be broken down into three periods. The first period had its beginning in the 1980’s when migrants from less developed countries entered with employment being the main reason.

The second period happened in the early 90’s with a composition of mostly refugees from Eastern Europe. The third phase coincided with implementation of immigration policies that sought to integrate immigrants. Prior to 1990 the media portrayed a migrant as black and nomadic. Since 1991 the image is that of a gypsy type people from Eastern Europe. During the three periods the media also showcased migrants in a folkloric image, as being marginalized, and a more recent image as one participating in criminal activities.

The stance taken by the media towards immigrants has been inconsistent ranging from arguments that immigration can be beneficial to the Italian economy to fuelling the public’s fear and antipathy towards foreigners. Generally the media ignores the suffering and exploitation of migrants and sometimes blame immigrants for racist acts committed against them. The newspapers that are connected to the political left show more tolerance while those connected to the political right are more anti-foreigner.

The media’s portrayal of migrant women changed from domestic helpers in the first period to a more stable family oriented woman with the arrival of Islamic women, to those predominantly black victims of human trafficking in recent years.The Italian Communist party has been constantly changing. The party started in 1921 when it broke away from the socialist party in order to take a path that was more fundamentally communist. In 1944 Palmiro Togliatti outlined a new direction for the party. He preferred the party to operate through a policy of alliances, including recognition of the monarch and the Catholic Church.

This new thrust ended in 1947 but in 1956 Togliatti again tried to continue with his pro democratic plan. The years following this thrust found the party in isolation partially due to the development and evolvement of other political and social groups. It wasn’t an attractive option for neither the far right nor the far left. Their chance of political success started in the 1970’s when the relatively favorable relationship between themselves and the major party provided them with the opportunity to play major role in political and governmental activities.

They, however, suffered a setback in the late 1970’s with the assassination of a close government ally and a defeat at the polls. Following years of differences and condemnation of some activities done by the Soviet Union the relationship with the Italian Communist Party became very weak. The leader Enrico Berlinguer moved along a path of an Italian brand of communism. The party became more open and less secretive with regards to policy making. There were also some changes made to the party statutes.

The party grew to embrace many different sectors of workers. They have established communication resources as well as educational facilities. The party, however, has always been shrouded in obscurity and although the Italian populace recognizes their contributions the party has still been criticized as being ambiguous. King, R. & Wood, N. (eds.) 2001. Media and migration: constructions of mobility and difference. London: Routledge. Spotts, Frederic & Wieser, Theodor. (1986). Italy: a difficult democracy: a survey of Italian politics.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.