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This research aims to investigate how interreligious dialogue can enhance the labour market inclusion of migrant Muslim women and, subsequently, to underscore the necessity of a relational approach in demonstrating the role and significance of interreligious dialogue and intercultural exchange in this process. It demonstrates that interreligious dialogue and intercultural mediation function as relational goods, fostering inclusive economic participation. By employing biographical and participant observation methodologies and applying P. Donati’s relational approach to data analysis, the study explores how the faith-based organisation of the Community of Sant’Egidio facilitates the economic and social integration of migrants and refugees in Italy.
The findings indicate that the Community of Sant’Egidio actively creates and promotes spaces for intercultural exchange, including language and vocational courses, as well as holiday celebrations that honour participants’ religious and cultural identities, with the involvement of intercultural mediators. For instance, the Economia Domestica course not only equips migrant Muslim women with vocational skills but also provides cultural insights into Italian social norms and lifestyles, including traditions of food consumption. This reflects an effort to enhance the capacity of migrant Muslim women to balance their religious practices with labour market demands. The findings further suggest that when interreligious dialogue and intercultural mediation accompany integration efforts, supported migrants are more likely to engage in reciprocal assistance with the host community.
Date and time of webinar (CET) and in local time: February 27, 2025, 5 PM-5.45 PM (CET)/6 PM- 6.45 PM (EET-Bucharest).
Presenter: Olena Komisarenko, PhD in Social Sciences from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Fellow of the Academy of the Economy of Francesco, freelance author for the Vatican Radio – Vatican News.
Moderator: Prof. dr. Monica ROMAN, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania.
The webinar link is here. No registration is needed.
Language: English.
