Abstract

In recent years, several national and international reports have highlighted an increase in episodes of xenophobic and racist violence in Italy, accompanied by a growing attitude of acceptance of racism. Based on the Italian case, we show how this attitude represents in itself a manifestation of racism and how its spread constitutes a case of shared ignorance. While not constituting an excuse for judgments of individual responsibility, such shared ignorance nevertheless implies that the measures necessary to undermine the socio-cultural mechanisms underlying the acceptance of racism are a matter of shared and future-looking responsibility.