Abstract
This chapter highlights that welfare racism is a structural phenomenon, resulting from: a colonial and racial root of the welfare state; the link between colonialism-racism-capitalism; the fact that racism is a constitutive factor of modern society; the intrinsic limits placed on the expansion of social rights by capitalism and social class structure; the embedding of social rights in national citizenship. This chapter underlines that welfare racism is also a structured phenomenon consisting of a set of policies, practices and discourses, and a structuring phenomenon producing inequalities, accompanying the processes of casualisation, inferiorisation and criminalisation of immigrants. Furthermore, it points out that, within the unstoppable rise of anti-immigrant racism of the last two decades, welfare racism gained new momentum. His “return” happened in parallel to the general harshening of the migration policies, to the war on migrants taking over much of the world, to the awakening in grand style of state racism; at the same time, his “return” occurred in a general context of attacks against labour and social rights, of revision and narrowing of social citizenship, of amputation, privatisation and individualisation of the welfare state. Finally, the chapter highlights that welfare racism is an instrument of exploitation, exclusion, social selection, and a means of dividing the working class. It introduces elements of differentiation and new stratifications into the working class in addition to the existing ones, which are linked to the segmentations present in the world market, to the differential exploitation of the labour force in the world labour market, to the global system of inequalities. It is a carrier in the process of reducing social rights to the detriment of the whole working class. For these reasons welfare racism concerns labour as a whole and all workers.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Aly, G. (2007). Hitler’s beneficiaries. Plunder, racial war, and the Nazi welfare state. Macmillan.
Andersen, J. G. (2007). Restricting access to social protection for immigrants in the Danish welfare state. Benefits, 15(3), 257–271.
Andersen, J. G., & Bjørklund, T. (1990). Structural change and new cleavages: The progress parties in Denmark and Norway. Acta Sociologica, 33(3), 195–217. https://doi.org/10.1177/000169939003300303
Antunes, R. (2013). The meanings of work. Brill.
Bancel, N., Blanchard, P., Boëstch, G., Deroo, E., & Lemaire, S. (2002). Zoos humains. La Découverte.
Basso, P. (Ed.) (2010). Razzismo di stato. FrancoAngeli.
Basso, P. (2016). Le racisme européen. Syllepse.
Basso, P. (2020). Migration. In M. Musto (Ed.). The Marx revival: Key concepts and new interpretations (pp. 232–246). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316338902.014
Basso, P. (2021). Marx on migration and the industrial reserve army: Not to be misused! In M. Musto (Ed.), Rethinking alternatives with Marx: Economy, ecology and migration (pp. 217–238). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81764-0_9
Basso, P., & Perocco, F. (2003). Gli immigrati in Europa. In P. Basso, & F. Perocco (Cur.), Gli immigrati in Europa (pp. 7–54). FrancoAngeli.
Basso, P., & Perocco, F. (2020). Immigrazione e trasformazione sociale dell’Europa. Perspectiva, 38(4), 1–24.
Bihr, A. (2007). La Novlangue néolibérale. Page deux.
Brown, M. (1999). Race, money, and the American welfare state. Cornell University Press.
Brown, H. (2013). The new racial politics of welfare. Social Service Review, 87(3), 586–612. https://doi.org/10.1086/673171
Castles, S. (2000). Ethnicity and globalization. Sage.
Ciemi. (2021). Les politiques migratoires de l’UE dans la tourmente. Migrations Société, 33(186), coordonée par Nora El Qadim.
Chesnais, F. (1997). La mondialisation du capital. Syros.
Clochard, O., & Migreurop. (2017). Atlas des migrants en Europe: Approches critiques des politiques migratoires. Armand Colin. https://doi.org/10.4000/remi.12168
Cohen, S. (1985). Anti-semitism, immigration controls and the welfare state. Critical Social Policy, 5(13), 73–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/026101838500501305
Collotti Pischel, E. (1995). Considerazioni su colonialismo e razzismo. University of Milan.
Crouch, C. (2004). Post-Democracy. Polity.
Crouch, C. (2011). The strange non-death of neo-liberalism. Polity.
De Koster, W., Achterberg, P., & van der Waal, J. (2013). The new right and the welfare state. On the electoral relevance of welfare chauvinism and welfare populism in the Netherlands. International Political Science Review, 34(1), 3–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512112455443
De Gobineau, A. (1967 [1853–1855]). Essai sur l’inégalité des races humaines. Éditions Pierre Belfond.
Dustmann, C., & Frattini, T. (2014). The fiscal effects of immigration to the UK. The Economic Journal, 124, 593–643. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecoj.12181
Erel, U., & Jefferys, S. (2003). Immigrati e minoranze etniche in Gran Bretagna. In P. Basso, & F. Perocco (Cur.). Gli immigrati in Europa (pp. 253–275). Franco Angeli.
Eurostat (2019). Migrant integration statistics 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php?title=Migrant_integration_statistics
Evola, J. (1994 [1941]). Sintesi di dottrina della razza. Edizioni di Ar.
Fanon, F. (1956). Racisme et culture. Présence Africaine, VIII-IX-X, 122–131. https://doi.org/10.3917/presa.9564.0122
Fox, C. (2012). Three worlds of relief: Race, immigration, and the American welfare state from the progressive era to the new deal. Princeton University Press.
Fox Piven, F. (2003). Why welfare is racist. In S. Schram, J. Soss, & R. Fording (Eds.), Race and the politics of welfare reform (pp. 323–335). University of Michigan Press.
Friedman, M. (1992). Capitalism and freedom. University of Chicago Press.
Giorgi, C., & Pavan, I. (2021). Storia dello stato sociale in Italia. Il mulino.
Gliozzi, G. (2000). Adam et le Nouveau Monde. Théétète.
Gordon, P. (1986). Racism and social security. Critical Social Policy, 6(17), 23–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/026101838600601702
Gott, C., & Johnston, K. (2002). The migrant population in the UK: Fiscal effects (Home Office RDS Occasional Paper N. 77). Retrieved March 1, 2021, from http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/occ77migrant.pdf
Grdešić, M. (2019). Neoliberalism and welfare chauvinism in Germany. German Politics and Society, 37(2), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3167/gps.2019.370201
Grègoire, H. (1996 [1826]). De la noblesse de la peau. Millon.
Guillamin, C. (1972). L’Idéologie raciste. Mouton.
Guillamin, C. (1995). Racism, sexism. Routledge.
Hayes, D. (2002). From aliens to asylum seekers. A history of immigration controls and welfare in Britain. In S. Cohen, B. Humphries & E. Mynott (Eds.), From immigration controls to welfare controls (pp. 30–46). Routledge.
Haut Conseil à l’Intégration. (1998). Lutte contre les discriminations : faire respecter le principe d’égalité. La Documentation Française.
Hobson, J. A. (2015 [1901]). The psychology of jingoism. Pahala.
Jacobs, S. (1985). Race, empire and the welfare state: Council housing and racism. Critical Social Policy, 5(13), 6–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/026101838500501302
Kolbe, M., & Crepaz, M. (2016). The power of citizenship: How immigrant incorporation affects attitudes towards social benefits. Comparative Politics, 49(1), 105–123.
Kundnani, A. (2021). The racial constitution of neoliberalism. Race & Class, 63(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/2F0306396821992706
Marshall, T. H. (1950). Citizenship and social class. Cambridge University Press.
Martinsen, D. S., & Pons Rotger, G. (2017). The fiscal impact of EU immigration on the tax-financed welfare state: Testing the ‘welfare burden’ thesis. European Union Politics, 18(4), 620–639. https://doi.org/10.1177/1465116517717340
Mason, T. (1993). Social policy and the Third Reich: The working class and the “National Community”. Bloomsbury.
Mau, S., & Burkhardt, C. (2009). Migration and welfare state solidarity in Western Europe. Journal of European Social Policy, 19(3), 213–229. https://doi.org/10.1177/0958928709104737
Mewes, J., & Mau, S. (2012). Unraveling working-class welfare chauvinism. In S. Svallfors (Ed.), Contested welfare states (pp. 119–157). Stanford University Press.
Morris, L. (2002). Managing migration. Routledge.
Mosse, G. (1978). Toward the final solution: A history of European racism. Howard Fertig.
Mynott, E. (2002). Nationalism, racism and immigration control. In S. Cohen, B. Humphries, & E. Mynott (Eds.), From immigration controls to welfare controls (pp. 11–29). Routledge.
Neubeck, K., & Cazenave, N. (2001). Welfare racism: Playing the race card against America’s poor. Routledge.
Nowrasteh, A., & Orr, R. (2018). Immigration and the welfare state (Immigration Research and Policy Brief, 6). Retrieved March 1, 2021 from https://www.cato.org/immigration-research-policy-brief/immigration-welfare-state-immigrant-native-use-rates-benefit
Oecd. (2013). International migration outlook 2013. Oecd Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/migr_outlook-2013-en
Oecd. (2015). International migration outlook 2015. Oecd Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/1999124x
Park, Y. (2006). Constructing immigrants: A historical discourse analysis of the representations of immigrants in US social work, 1882–1952. Journal of Social Work, 6(2), 169–203. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017306066673
Park, Y., & Kemp, S. (2006). “Little Alien Colonies”: Representations of immigrants and their neighborhoods in social work discourse, 1875–1924. Social Service Review, 80(4), 705–734. https://doi.org/10.1086/507934
Potts, L. (1990). The world labour market. Zed Books.
Quadagno, J. (1994). The color of welfare. Oxford University Press.
Quadagno, J. (2000). Another face of inequality: racial and ethnic exclusion in the welfare state. Social Politics, 7(2), 229–237. https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/7.2.229
Reese, E., & Ramírez, E. (2002). The new ethnic politics of welfare: Struggles over legal immigrants’ rights to welfare in California. Journal of Poverty, 6(3), 29–62. https://doi.org/10.1300/J134v06n03_02
Reeskens, T., & van Oorschot, W. (2012). Disentangling the ‘new liberal dilemma’. On the relation between general welfare redistribution preferences and welfare chauvinism. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 53(2), 120–139. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020715212451987
Sabates-Wheeler, R., & Feldman, R. (2011). Migration and social protection. Claiming social rights beyond borders. Palgrave.
Sayad, A. (1999). La double absence. Seuil.
Schierup, C.-U., Hansen, P., & Castles, S. (Eds.) (2006). Migration, citizenship, and the European welfare state. Oxford University Press.
Schierup, C.-U., Munck, R., Likić-Brborić, B., & Neergaard, A. (Eds.) (2015). Migration, precarity, and global governance. Oxford University Press.
Schierup, C-U., & Jørgensen, M. B. (Eds.) (2017). Politics of precarity. Migrant conditions, struggles and experiences. Brill.
Schram, S., Soss, J., & Fording, R. (Eds) (2003). Race and the politics of welfare reform. University of Michigan Press.
Semmel, B. (1968). Imperialism and social reform. Anchor Books.
Simon, J. L. (1984). Immigrants, taxes, and welfare in the United States. Population and Development Review, 10(1), 55–69. https://doi.org/10.2307/1973162
Slaouti, O., & Le Cour Grandmaison, O. (Dir.) (2020). Racismes de France. La Découverte.
Spire, A. (2005). Étrangers à la carte. Grasset.
Spire, A. (2008). Accueillir ou reconduire. Enquête sur les guichets de l’immigration. Raisons d’agir.
Spire, A (2013, December). Xénophobes au nom de l’Etat social. Le Monde Diplomatique. https://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2013/12/SPIRE/49901
Spire, A. (2015). Ces étrangers qui renoncent à leurs droits. Plein Droit, 106, 3–6.
Stannard, D. (1992). American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World. Oxford University Press.
Stern, M., & Axinn, J. (2018). Social welfare. A history of the American response to need (9th ed.). Pearson.
Stuppini, A. (2016). L’impatto economico e fiscale dell’immigrazione. In Idos, Dossier Statistico Immigrazione (pp. 315–323). Idos.
Vacher de Lapouge, G. (2016 [1899]). L’aryen, son rôle social. Forni.
Vacher de Lapouge, G. (2014 [1909]). Race et milieu social : essais d’anthroposociologie. Hachette.
van Oorschot, W. (2006). Making the difference in social Europe: Deservingness perceptions among citizens of European welfare states. Journal of European Social Policy, 16(1), 23–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/0958928706059829
van der Waal, J., Achterberg, P., Houtman, D., de Koster, W., & Manevska, K. (2010). “Some are more equal than others”. Economic egalitarianism and welfare chauvinism in the Netherlands. Journal of European Social Policy, 20(4), 350–363. https://doi.org/10.1177/0958928710374376
van Der Waal, J., De Koster, W., & van Oorschot, W. (2013). Three worlds of welfare chauvinism? How welfare regimes affect support for distributing welfare to immigrants in Europe. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 15(2), 164–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/13876988.2013.785147
Wallerstein, I. (1988). The ideological tensions of capitalism: Universalism versus racism and sexism. In J. Smith, J. Collins, T. K. Hopkins, & A. Muhammad (Eds.), Racism, sexism, and the world-system (pp. 3–9). Greenwood Press.
Ward, D. (2005). The White welfare state. University of Michigan Press.
Williams, F. (1987). Racism and the discipline of social policy: A critique of welfare theory. Critical Social Policy, 7(20), 4–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/026101838700702001
Williams, F. (1989). Social policy: Issues of race, gender and class. Polity Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Perocco, F. (2022). Racism in and for the Welfare State. In: Perocco, F. (eds) Racism in and for the Welfare State. Marx, Engels, and Marxisms. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06071-7_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06071-7_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-06070-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-06071-7
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)