Doctoral Dissertation Research: Muslim Pan-ethnic Identity and Political Engagement across European Countries

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Current estimates hold that the Muslim share of the population in Europe is expected to double between 1990 and 2040. Rising immigration poses challenges for the successful incorporation of the next generation of European Muslims. Muslim immigrants to Europe represent a diversity of cultures, ethnicities and races; yet government policies and public discourse often treat Muslims as a monolithic group. This project investigates the emergence of a shared group identity in adolescence for Muslim descendants of immigrants in Europe, and it considers how this shared group identity, can, in turn, be used for political engagement and incorporation in adulthood. Findings will enhance understanding of the place of religion in democratic societies that are adapting to rapid demographic change and increasing religious diversity. Specifically, this project examines religion as a source of identity, as a potential for social cleavage, and as a mechanism for the incorporation of marginalized minority groups into the mainstream democratic process. This research will provide insights into religion as a basis for social relations and the place of Islam in European societies. Results will also have implications for school officials, social workers and policy makers in countries experiencing an increase in the Muslim population. Theorists argue that boundaries?defined as perceptions of otherness?in Europe are based on religion. However, no research has examined how boundaries are created by states and their implications for religious identity salience, perceived religious discrimination, and political participation. The researchers posit Muslim identity in Europe as a racialized pan-ethnic identity: an imposed categorization which unifies individuals from diverse backgrounds. Specifically, this project investigates how the context of reception (national incorporation policies and regional attitudes from the native majority) shapes three facets of Muslim pan-ethnic identity: 1) its development in adolescence independently from national origins and personal religiosity, 2) its roots in shared experiences of religious discrimination, and 3) its potential for political engagement in adulthood through pan-ethnic organizations. In order to study pan-ethnic identity across these three domains, this project uses latent growth curve analysis for modeling Muslim adolescents? identity salience between ninth and eleventh grade in Germany, the Netherlands, England and Sweden, and multilevel modeling for analyzing Muslims? religious and political incorporation in nineteen European countries. The research uses the recently available Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study in four European Countries, the European Social Survey of nineteen European countries, and data on country-level immigration policy.