Aristotle, Foreigners and Host Country’s Community: A Lesson from the Past

The democratic society of ancient Greece did not distinguish between community and society, and between community and state. Ancient Greeks could not imagine a separation between Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft and even less a separation between community and state. Therefore, ancient Greece accepted foreign immigrants only if they had proved their integration in the host community. Contrariwise, in modern Western countries, the State, not the community, is in charge of granting permit of stay and citizenship to foreign immigrants. And the granting of permit of stay and citizenship is based substantially on formal requisites, not on the social integration of the foreigner. As a consequence, natives are increasingly criticizing the State - and Governments - for their immigration policies, since the latter do not consider the problem of the immigrant integration in the local community, increasing the risk of cultural conflict, deviance and crime.