Fighting for What? Couples’ Communication, Parenting and Social Activism: The Case Study of a “Christian-Muslim” Families’ Association in Brussels (Belgium)

Abstract

Mixed families have historically been considered to be a direct consequence of a process of social and cultural integration of migrants within the host society, although this link has recently been problematized by scholars. By focusing on the case study of an association of “Christian-Muslim” families in Belgium, this article offers a better understanding of the social consequences of mixedness. The article seeks to shed light on the private and public life of the couples who are members of this association by answering the following research questions: Why do couples turn to this association? At what stages of their lives? What is the social role that the association aims to play in society? Using partners’ life stories and ethnographic observation gathered during the association’s meetings, the findings demonstrate how this association plays an important role at different levels and at different stages of a family’s life. The analysis will highlight that: (1) there is a specific aim to help new couples to face administrative, religious and cultural “obstacles” they encounter during the first period of their relationships, and (2) special meetings to discuss the challenge of parenting are at the core of the association’s activities. The “problem” of transmission requires of the couple further negotiations to find a way to balance their respective cultural backgrounds. These negotiations have to take into account the power misbalance within the Belgian hegemonic context. (3) The social activism of this association is an important aspect of its aims and scope. Some of the couples are active in countering a dominant stereotypical representation of mixed couples. They organize meetings and events to sensitize public opinion on interreligious dialogue, migration issues and the fight against racism. In this way, the association proposes itself as a new peculiar agent of social change in the public sphere.

Interreligious Dialogue Groups Enabling Human Agency

“…The reviewed literature coincides with the relevance of principles such as equality of differences, egalitarian dialogue, cultural intelligence, solidarity, and transformation to positively impact human agency. Although empirical research has examined the benefits of interreligious dialogue groups (Azdajic 2019;Gramstrup 2017;Todd et al 2015;Burgués et al 2016;Mondéjar and Villarejo 2017;Cerchiaro 2019;Ubani 2018;Knitter 2013), the creation of human agency has remained almost unexplored. There is scarce literature and evidence on how and why the implementation of such principles is needed.…”

Dissonant masculinities? Migration, emotions and masculinities in marriages between Italian women and Moroccan men living in Italy

“…As I argue further, the different educational levels of the partners also represent an element to take into consideration in the gender dynamic that is analyzed. In this article I do not explore in depth the management of religious differences within couples, as this would require a dedicated paper (Cerchiaro et al, 2015;Cerchiaro 2019b). Here, I want to focus on the "here-there" overlapping that exposes different definitions of masculinity.…”

Above and beyond social boundaries: Everyday life of Mixed Muslim–non-Muslim families in contemporary societies Au-delà des frontières sociales : le vécu des familles mixtes musulmanes-non-musulmanes dans les sociétés contemporaines

“…The research of Al-Yousuf (2006) in the UK indicates that when these families ‘work’, hybridity emerges as a central aspect but that ‘where these marriages break down, the urge in both parents to expel what has been experienced as confusion and conflict, to reassert a single identity and to “de-hybridize,” may be strong’ (p. 328). The research of Cerchiaro in Italy (Cerchiaro et al, 2015), France, and Belgium (Cerchiaro, 2019a, 2022) showed that the reconstruction of partners’ former religious identities tends to be the rule rather than the exception and faith tends to decline, become privatized, or spiritualized. However, Cerchiaro (2020) counters the generic assumption that these families led inevitably to religious loss and ethnic dilution by showing that offspring’s identities may also vary among single Muslim, non-religious, and spiritual identifications.…”

“…Compte tenu de la stigmatisation souvent dénoncée par les membres de la famille (en particulier leurs enfants), une littérature plus abondante vise à analyser la vie quotidienne de ces couples. Certains chercheurs indiquent que dans un couple mixte, les parents réfléchissent consciemment à la manière de minimiser ou de prévenir les situations potentiellement conflictuelles qui pourraient se présenter à eux comme à leurs enfants, et ce en évitant, par exemple, de leur choisir des prénoms à consonance musulmane (Cerchiaro 2019a; Le Gall and Therrien, 2022; Puzenat, 2008). La recherche menée par Odasso (2016) qui porte sur les couples franco-arabes en Alsace/France et les couples italo-arabes en Vénétie/Italie, souligne particulièrement les incidences administratives et juridiques liées aux lois de la migration familiale qui régissent les mariages mixtes et deviennent des obstacles majeurs pour les couples dont l’un des conjoints est migrant et musulman (voir également les recherches menées par Sterckx (2015) et De Hart (2017) aux Pays-Bas).…”