Welfare Activities by New Religious Actors: Islamic Organisations in Italy and Switzerland (Palgrave Politics of Identity and Citizenship Series)

This book offers a comparative examination of Islamic welfare activities across urban areas in both Switzerland and Italy, in order to address general issues relating to the welfare engagement of Islamic organisations in Europe.Welfare Activities by New Religious Actors describes how Islamic organisations have been coordinated and structured in Geneva, Milan, Rome, and Zurich; four cities not yet analysed in the literature on Islamic welfare. It also explores the institutional opportunities and constraints that are able to influence forms of social religious activities at the local and international level, by bringing together two research fields that seldom speak to each other: social network analysis and political opportunity theory.This book will appeal to scholars of Sociology, Anthropology and Religious Studies dealing with the social and political inclusion of Muslims in Europe and the social activities of Islamic organisations in Western countries. Read more... Abstract: This book offers a comparative examination of Islamic welfare activities across urban areas in both Switzerland and Italy, in order to address general issues relating to the welfare engagement of Islamic organisations in Europe.Welfare Activities by New Religious Actors describes how Islamic organisations have been coordinated and structured in Geneva, Milan, Rome, and Zurich; four cities not yet analysed in the literature on Islamic welfare. It also explores the institutional opportunities and constraints that are able to influence forms of social religious activities at the local and international level, by bringing together two research fields that seldom speak to each other: social network analysis and political opportunity theory.This book will appeal to scholars of Sociology, Anthropology and Religious Studies dealing with the social and political inclusion of Muslims in Europe and the social activities of Islamic organisations in Western countries This book offers a comparative examination of Islamic welfare activities across urban areas in both Switzerland and Italy, in order to address general issues relating to the welfare engagement of Islamic organisations in Europe. Welfare Activities by New Religious Actors describes how Islamic organisations have been coordinated and structured in Geneva, Milan, Rome, and Zurich; four cities not yet analysed in the literature on Islamic welfare. It also explores the institutional opportunities and constraints that are able to influence forms of social religious activities at the local and international level, by bringing together two research fields that seldom speak to each other: social network analysis and political opportunity theory. This book will appeal to scholars of Sociology, Anthropology and Religious Studies dealing with the social and political inclusion of Muslims in Europe and the social activities of Islamic organisations in Western countries. Annotation This text offers a comparative examination of Islamic welfare activities across urban areas in both Switzerland and Italy, in order to address general issues relating to the welfare engagement of Islamic organisations in Europe. 'Welfare Activities by New Religious Actors' describes how Islamic organisations have been coordinated and structured in Geneva, Milan, Rome, and Zurich; four cities not yet analysed in the literature on Islamic welfare. It also explores the institutional opportunities and constraints that are able to influence forms of social religious activities at the local and international level, by bringing together two research fields that seldom speak to each other: social network analysis and political opportunity theory Front Matter ....Pages i-xxi Introduction (Elisa Banfi)....Pages 1-29 Analysing Islamic Welfare Activism in Western European Countries (Elisa Banfi)....Pages 31-74 Islamic Sociocultural Activism in Zurich (Elisa Banfi)....Pages 75-96 Islamic Sociocultural Activism in Rome (Elisa Banfi)....Pages 97-125 Islamic Sociocultural Activism in Geneva (Elisa Banfi)....Pages 127-152 Islamic Sociocultural Activism in Milan (Elisa Banfi)....Pages 153-179 Intranational and Cross-national Data Analysis (Elisa Banfi)....Pages 181-198 Conclusion (Elisa Banfi)....Pages 199-208 Back Matter ....Pages 209-275