Citizens or Foreigners?

This paper analyzes the issue of citizenship and diversity based on a case study of the Sinti people in Venice. The increase of cultural and ethnic diversity in Western societies places the modern concept of citizenship in turmoil. This, together with the crisis of representative politics and the mounting sense of insecurity in the globalization era, incites citizens to form committees to maintain their sense of security. How are Italians responding to the growing presence of cultural diversity brought by Rom and Sinti people? On a national level, exclusion seems to be the only approach to resolving the issue. Therefore, local communities, such as the one in Venice, have embraced citizenship and diversity with a political agenda that aims to eradicate the “nomad’s lands.”