‘When I told my parents I was going to marry a Muslim…’: Social perception and attitudes towards intermarriage in Italy, France and Belgium

Abstract

Based on biographical interviews held in Italy, France and Belgium with mixed couples where one partner has a Muslim background and the other a Christian one, the analysis highlights the factors involved when a relationship generates negative reactions among the family of the majority partner. The article questions the assumption according to which mixed marriages are the result of the diminishing of group boundaries. Its findings suggest that these couples may often highlight the continued presence of strong social barriers. Muslim men – particularly if they have a lower socio-economic status – are more likely to face the opposition of their families-in-law. The fear of the majority group of losing ‘social prestige’ indicates that the intertwining of social class and ethnic difference plays a major role, especially at the beginning of the relationships. Islamophobia emerges as a both ‘racialised’ and ‘gendered’ category, strengthening the stereotype of the Muslim man as the emblem of ‘otherness’.