list of all NORFACE projects on religion

Religion is a central aspect of ethno-cultural diversity in European societies. In spite of a wealth of qualitative case studies of specific communities, national statistics are only beginning to map ethno-religious diversity. As large-scale data sources become available, the religious mobilisation of a European second generation of (self-identified) Muslim citizens offers a unique opportunity for comparative research. From the perspective of religious studies, the 'Islam made in Europe' of the second generation raises questions about the limits of secularisation and how Islam affects the new religious and socio-political landscape of European cities. From the perspective of ethnic and minority studies, related questions are how minority youth mobilise religion in constructions of ethnic identity and otherness, and how their experiences of 'being Muslim in Europe' are influenced by anti-Muslim public discourse after September 11. To answer these questions, the project links social science theory and research on secularisation, religious diversity and revival and on ethnic identity, assimilation and conflict. Empirically, the project takes a multi-site, multi-actor and multi-method approach by developing three related research lines:

• a longitudinal analysis of trends in the religious mobilisation of the Turkish second generation before and after September 11, using a unique sequence of four large-scale Dutch surveys in 1998, 2002, 2005 and 2006.
• a cross-national comparison of degrees and forms of ethnic and religious mobilisation of Turkish (and native) youth in six cities using the 2006 TIES-surveys;
• a comparative case study of second-generation Muslim youth aimed at an in-depth understanding of religious identities and claims in selected urban settings; and

While we are aware of the great internal diversity of Muslim communities, we focus mainly on Turkish youth with a view to enhance crossnational comparability. But we add the case of Moroccan youth and British Muslim youth to do some justice to diversity within the 'new Islam' of second generation.


Principal Investigator:
Prof. PHALET, Karen, European Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations (ERCOMER), Social Sciences, Utrecht University