The intersectionality of social identities and bicultural belonging among Muslim young adults in Italy: An exploratory study

The present qualitative study sought to examine the intersectionality of social identities, specifically ethnic, religious, and national identities, to understand bicultural belonging among young Muslim adults residing in Italy. This meticulous investigation focused on further comprehending how bicultural belonging developed, which is primarily grounded on the theory of social identity, as posited by Tajfel (1981), basing the knowledge to gauge the role of a social group in the reconciliation of social identities. This study aimed to bridge the gap in the existing literature (Cesareo, 2022; Rizzo et al., 2022) by exploring social identities to advance our understanding of how they interact, coexist, or come into conflict, which subsequently influences the trajectory of individuals’ identity development and corresponding bicultural belonging. A sample of 100 Italian-Muslims (aged between 18 and 26 years) was recruited and individually interviewed online. Thematic analysis was employed to derive themes from participants' responses to open- ended questions, and identity maps were analyzed to address our research questions. The findings indicated that young adult Muslims go through a reflective phase to reconcile their social identities, subsequently harmonizing their multiple identities as they evolve with age. Additionally, the study highlighted the strong association between ethnic and religious identities, as a substantial number of participants viewed these identities as intertwined, with a sizeable percentage of participants reporting to be religiously devout believers. In succinct, the intersectionality of social identities, whether integrated, parallel, or conflictual, holds crucial significance in fostering bicultural belonging. Lastly, the study offered suggestions for future research and policy implications.