Article Version of Record

Exploring Identity in Muslim Moroccan and Pakistani Immigrant Women

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Giuliani, Cristina
Tagliabue, Semira

Abstract / Description

This study presents a qualitative investigation of how Muslim Moroccan and Pakistani female immigrants living in Italy conceptualize their cultural identity. Ten Moroccan and 10 Pakistani (adolescent and adult) women were interviewed through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The interviewees expressed a strong attachment to their culture of origin: their religion is a crucial aspect of their identity, along with certain cultural rules and traditional values. At the same time, both Moroccan and Pakistani participants were ambivalent toward and experienced difficulties in developing a connection to the host country, although the two groups exhibit their lack of connection to their host country in different ways: Moroccans’ self-representation is marked by a sense of foreignness and by a lack of an emotional connection with places where they are living while Pakistanis tend to express cultural distance and conflict with the host culture’s values. For both the Moroccan and Pakistani groups, the challenge of integration and biculturalism seems demanding in the Italian context and is marked by a deep feeling of emptiness, a lack of an emotional bond with the new country, and a strong cultural ambivalence. Finally, narrative themes are articulated across four interrelated dimensions (cultural, religious, gendered, spatial), revealing interesting differences based on national origin and generation.

Keyword(s)

cultural identity Pakistani and Moroccan immigration Muslim women qualitative analysis

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2015-02-27

Journal title

Europe's Journal of Psychology

Volume

11

Issue

1

Page numbers

63–78

Publisher

PsychOpen GOLD

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

Citation

Giuliani, C., & Tagliabue, S. (2015). Exploring Identity in Muslim Moroccan and Pakistani Immigrant Women. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 11(1), 63–78. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v11i1.844
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Giuliani, Cristina
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Tagliabue, Semira
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2018-11-21T09:59:19Z
  • Made available on
    2018-11-21T09:59:19Z
  • Date of first publication
    2015-02-27
  • Abstract / Description
    This study presents a qualitative investigation of how Muslim Moroccan and Pakistani female immigrants living in Italy conceptualize their cultural identity. Ten Moroccan and 10 Pakistani (adolescent and adult) women were interviewed through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The interviewees expressed a strong attachment to their culture of origin: their religion is a crucial aspect of their identity, along with certain cultural rules and traditional values. At the same time, both Moroccan and Pakistani participants were ambivalent toward and experienced difficulties in developing a connection to the host country, although the two groups exhibit their lack of connection to their host country in different ways: Moroccans’ self-representation is marked by a sense of foreignness and by a lack of an emotional connection with places where they are living while Pakistanis tend to express cultural distance and conflict with the host culture’s values. For both the Moroccan and Pakistani groups, the challenge of integration and biculturalism seems demanding in the Italian context and is marked by a deep feeling of emptiness, a lack of an emotional bond with the new country, and a strong cultural ambivalence. Finally, narrative themes are articulated across four interrelated dimensions (cultural, religious, gendered, spatial), revealing interesting differences based on national origin and generation.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Citation
    Giuliani, C., & Tagliabue, S. (2015). Exploring Identity in Muslim Moroccan and Pakistani Immigrant Women. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 11(1), 63–78. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v11i1.844
  • ISSN
    1841-0413
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/934
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.1126
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Publisher
    PsychOpen GOLD
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v11i1.844
  • Keyword(s)
    cultural identity
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    Pakistani and Moroccan immigration
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    Muslim women
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    qualitative analysis
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Exploring Identity in Muslim Moroccan and Pakistani Immigrant Women
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
  • Issue
    1
  • Journal title
    Europe's Journal of Psychology
  • Page numbers
    63–78
  • Volume
    11
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record