| Summary: | In spite of the theoretical and empirical diversity we can find some common features in the results of the investigations on racism in Portugal. Firstly, all investigations have in common the fact that they have made clear that the «myth» of the Portuguese «non racism», so widespread among the population is nothing but a myth – there is racism in Portugal. But this national myth became a sort of «self fulfilling prophecy» since, apparently, it has prevented the entry of racism into the political arena. Secondly, another common conclusion of the investigations on racism is that there is no connection between racism, nationalism, national identity issues and immigration. Immigrants are not seen as a threat to the national identity or to the Portuguese culture, and there are no political or common sense discourses on the theme of «invasion». On the other hand, all the studies are unanimous underlining that there really exists a «gypsy issue» in the contemporary Portugal. Indeed, even the investigations that have other groups as a subject of study, conclude that the main victims of racism are the small communities of Portuguese gypsies and that they are probably victims of a racism more intense than the one that affects other groups. This communication aims to do a first evaluation of the results of the research about racism in Portugal in order to guide both the future in-depth studies on the subject and the policies to fight these phenomena.
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