Participation of the Padua Unit in the Exploratory Qualitative Research
As part of the exploratory qualitative research envisaged by the PRIN Project, the Padua Unit actively contributed to the research activities involving all three identified targets:
Muslim citizens and migrants residing in Italy (target 1)
Representatives of the main Islamic organisations in Italy (target 2)
Institutional representatives from the Public Administration, public services and Third Sector operators working in the education, health and social care, security, prison and economic fields (target 3)
Target 1 – Muslim population
For target 1, the Padua Unit developed an in-depth qualitative interview guide on the religious life of Muslims in Italy, mainly based on narrative questions. This tool made it possible to explore several thematic areas, including:
representations of the self, both personal and religious, at the real and ideal level
meaning of religious experience and relationship with the sacred
ethical and value dimension, with particular attention to the management of prohibitions and “boundaries”
religious practice (prayer, other “pillars”, attendance of places of worship, religious festivities)
forms of belonging, not only in religious terms but also with regard to other social dimensions
religious knowledge and its sources
religious transmission
relationship with the Italian social context
An initial mapping of contacts at national level made it possible to construct a sample of interviewees taking into account variables such as geographical area of residence, country of origin or background (including people born in Italy with a migratory background and Italians who have converted to Islam), age, gender, level of education and degree of religious involvement.
The in-depth interviews were conducted both in person and online, then transcribed and analysed. A specific focus was devoted, on the one hand, to the religious life of Muslim women living in Italy and, on the other, to the experience of women religious leaders, allowing differentiated trajectories and emerging dynamics to be highlighted.
Target 2 – Islamic organisations
For target 2, concerning leaders of Islamic organisations and associations active in Italy, the Padua Unit designed an interview guide structured around several areas:
history and organisational structure of the associations
representative role and relationships with Muslim worshippers in Italy
role of new generations and women
challenges related to the web and digital communication
relationships with states, transnational organisations and funding sources
relationships with the Italian State and institutional responses to the needs of Muslims
forms of religious leadership
perceptions of the religiosity and religious experience of Muslims living in Italy
The interviews were carried out in collaboration with the Bari and Palermo Units. In parallel, an ethnographic observation activity was conducted on organisational settings that are not exclusively religious but in which religious belonging emerges in a significant way, such as ethno-national associations (for example, the association GIM – Giovani Italo-Marocchini / Young Italo-Moroccans).
Target 3 – Institutions
For target 3, which includes institutional actors from the Public Administration, public services and the Third Sector, the Padua Unit collaborated with the Bari and Palermo Units in preparing the empirical fieldwork, through action-research activities and participation in coordination, planning and design meetings.
In particular, the Padua Unit carried out a systematic national mapping of institutional actors involved in the governance of religious diversity, with specific attention to the Islamic case. The analysis covered several Italian Government Ministries, their internal structure (Departments, Directorates, Offices, Commissions) and the officials responsible for the relevant areas.
The analysis was then extended to the health and employment sectors through the mapping of major national organisations operating in the healthcare field and key actors in the labour market, including companies that have adopted policies or drafted documents aimed at recognising the rights and needs of Muslim workers.
On the basis of this work, an official letter was drawn up and signed by the heads of the Padua, Bari and Palermo Units and sent to the institutional contacts identified during the mapping phase. The letter presented the project (enclosing a brief overview) and asked for their availability to initiate possible forms of collaboration.
Only a portion of the contacts replied, often indicating that they were unable to participate due to lack of competence in the specific area or heavy institutional workloads. It was nonetheless possible to establish an initial dialogue with:
Ministry of Labour and Social Policies – Directorate General for Immigration and Integration Policies, Department for Social Policies, the Third Sector and Migration Policies
Ministry of Universities and Research – Directorate General for Internationalisation and Communication
Ministry of Justice – Department of Penitentiary Administration
Ministry of Justice – Department for Juvenile and Community Justice
This phase of the study involves the use of the following methods:
Cë Cataloguing and analysis of existing documentation (communicative/ dissemination, administrative, political, regulatory and jurisprudential, …);
Ethnographic observation and interaction with “privileged witnesses”;
Conducting in-depth interviews and focus groups, with people belonging to three main target groups:
A. Citizens and migrants of Muslim faith;
B. Exponents of the most represented Islamic organisations in Italy;
C. Public administrators and public services stakeholders in general and, in particular, from the school, socio-health, security, penitentiary and economic sectors, as well as Third Sector leaders and professionals.
