Istituto Italiano di Antropologia

First of all..

Human dignity and human rights are absolute values.

Acknowledging the same dignity and the same rights to everyone is the founding principle of our civil society and, as such, cannot vary according to the current political trends or depend on the greater or lesser biological or cultural similarity of human beings. At the same time, understanding human diversity is essential to become fully aware of the meaning and value of human equality.

Human Diversity

To understand human diversity, we must start from populations, not from races

Humanity is a network of people who, settling into social groups which communicate with each other and which continuously change over time, admix their genetic material. These are groups of people, sometimes even small, which share a space, a history and a culture: the populations. The genetic differences between individuals belonging to the same population are, on average, slightly smaller than those between individuals of different continents. A significant part of all human genetic diversity is already present in a single population. Therefore, there is no scientific basis to support the idea of "human races" - whereby few elementary groups are able to express the biological, physical and behavioural diversity of our species.

The biological homogeneity of the human species is a fact

We are extraordinarily similar from a genetic point of view irrespective of which part of the world we come from - we share more than 99% of our DNA - and that remaining 1% produces no consistent form of racial classification. However, our perception of diversity is largely influenced by the obvious differences in physical characteristics, such as skin colour, which are the result of adaptation to the environment through a few genes but have nothing to do with our behaviour and our attitudes. Both behaviours and attitudes are, however, forged by social contexts in which simple chance has played a role in our birth and growth. Not only the diversity of our individual and social characteristics, but also the biological homogeneity of our species is a simple matter of fact.

Human diversity is value and wealth

Although limited, genetic diversity among populations contains a great deal of information which can be used to reconstruct events of our past, such as migrations, genocides or epidemics. This ever present variability in our species has made it possible for Homo sapiens to adapt and thrive in the most disparate environments, while the admixture between groups with different genes and cultures has led to the formation of cosmopolitan humanity, which is subject to continuous evolution and transformation. Therefore, human diversity is not and cannot become an instrument of discrimination, but must be seen for what it really is: a key to our evolutionary success, a value for the present and a treasure to be preserved for the future.

The racism

Racism hurts everyone

Although the concept of race has no scientific basis, racism - the idea that the cognitive abilities and moral qualities of each individual are different depending on their origin or external appearance - is alive and kicking. The past tells us that the collective hostile behaviour generated by racism have led to great human tragedies: persecutions, massacres and genocides. Today, the perverse cycle between the environmental crisis, the impoverishment of the population, the need to migrate and the growth of intolerance towards newcomers is a global phenomenon. Individual and collective suffering, discomfort and social conflict, with the further racism that is thus generated, can spread like wildfire and affect every single citizen, every single social group, and every single part of the world.

Old and new forms of racism coexist in society

We must be well aware today that different forms of racism coexist. The "traditional" form persists, based on the association between the perception of physical diversity and prejudices regarding the cognitive and moral qualities of the individuals of the "lower groups". In addition to this, we have the so-called "neo-racism", whose main idea is that cultural and religious differences separate human groups and justify discrimination. The new forms of anti-Semitism, jihadism, Islamophobia and other forms of religious persecution demonstrate its enormous disruptive potential for society.

Racism can be countered by sharing knowledge and focusing on the individual person

To counter racism it is necessary to act on different levels. Regarding knowledge, it is necessary to emphasize both the extraordinary richness of cultural diversity that humanity has developed along its long historical path, and the indispensable role played by biological differences in the adaptation of human populations to environments. Regarding human relationships, it is important to put the individual person at the centre of everything, beyond any abstract category such as race or ethnic group, which obscures its values. Regarding civil and political issues, we must share and put into practice equality between human beings concerning their rights and duties respecting the principles of our Constitution and of the norms.

The search for a true and fruitful cohabitation is a collective responsibility

In order to prevent racism from erasing the human sense of community and solidarity, which are indispensable for a real and fruitful coexistence, everyone must, while maintaining their personal identity, be aware of the fact they are linked to others through their belonging to a larger community, humanity, and through a common destiny, that of citizens of the world.

The Italians

The deep roots of Italian people, like all humanity, lie in Africa

Today we are Italians and Europeans, but our deep roots, like those of all humanity, are African. Genetics, paleoanthropology, archeology and linguistics tell us that our species, Homo sapiens, with its anatomical and cognitive "evolutionary novelties" appeared in Africa around 250,000 years ago. The first human groups occupied Europe in different, passing through the Middle East. Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers reached Italy about 45,000 years ago, while the first Neolithic farmers arrived on our continent around 9,000 years ago.

The identity of Italians lies in their diversity of genes, cultures and languages

Numerous other migratory waves followed the arrival of peoples started from Africa. From the Copper Age onwards, populations have arrived such as the Celts and the Longobards from the north and the east, , the Greeks from the south, the Phoenicians from the Middle East, and the Arabs from North Africa. More recent migrations, until the nineteenth century, brought other groups from various parts of Europe to settle in Italy, leading to the presence in our territory of numerous ethno-linguistic minorities. These numerous and heterogeneous population movements towards our country have left a mark in the genetic and linguistic diversity among Italian populations, which is the largest in Europe. In fact, our genetics, language and culture mirror the geographical position of our country: Italy is a bridge between Europe and the Mediterranean.

Migrants have contributed to the progress of society in Italy and elsewhere

For many aspects of our wealth, both material and cultural, we are indebted to the many migrants who have become an integral part of our social fabric. Similarly, the many Italians who have contributed to the progress of other countries also deserve recognition. This is offset by our colonialist, racist and anti-Semitic past, and the consequences they provoked for many people and entire communities. History sends us a clear message: to better live our present and face better our future, it is necessary for everyone - whatever their origins, physical characteristics, culture or religion - to commit themselves publicly against any form of discrimination and intolerance.

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