ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how the illegality' of Senegalese traders is enacted through the intersection of legislations targeting the clandestino/and those targeting unlicensed trade or the sale of counterfeit. It begins by outlining the approach to the in-depth interviews, introducing the interviews as an extension of the participation observation and describes the changing demographics of migration from Senegal to Italy. In July 2007 the government announced a crackdown on unlicensed trade, progressively targeting the major sites of unlicensed sale. The crackdown first focused on Piazza Duomo and Brera, both high fashion and tourist districts in Milan. To highlight the importance of place to the changing perceptions of West African migrants, Riccio compared the reception of West African traders in Ravenna and Rimini two towns on the Adriatic coast, in the region of Emilia Romagna. The government has argued that in order to counter problems of illegality and unlicensed trade, strategies of deterrence is required alongside strategies of enforcement.
