Scientific mission to explore the religious freedom, religious pluralism and refugee rights in Italy and Croatia

Dr. Teuta Marušić from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, implemented her COREnet-funded Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) at the University of Padova, Italy.

Teuta’s research aimed to explore concepts of religious freedom and religious pluralism with a tendency to find the linkage between them and identify the factors that influence the perception of refugee rights in two country contexts – Croatia and Italy. While there is a growing body of empirical research on migration and religion, much of it overlooks the specific dimension of religious freedom and religious pluralism, and do not offer the perspective of contextual meanings exploring different national contexts. Completing the STSM at the University of Padova had significant contributions within the framework of the research project – ‘Refugee Rights, Religious Pluralism and Freedoms through the Lenses of Youth – a comparative analysis of youth perceptions in Croatia and Italy’.

The STSM enabled Teuta to develop the main framework of the research in terms of research design, theoretical perspectives, and analytical tools significant for conducting the research. During the STSM, the research working plan resulted in directing research towards the theoretical perspectives of religious pluralism and religious freedom with a focus on refugee rights. Following this, Teuta specified main research questions: What is the role of pluralism and religious freedom in attitudes toward refugee rights in Croatia and Italy? Specifically, how does openness toward religious pluralism reflect in refugee rights? What is the significance of supporting other rights in relation to refugee rights?

Currently, Teuta is preparing a publication that presents a quantitative analysis of data collected in the year 2021/2022 and is based on a convenience sample of 1317 participants coming from the University of Croatia and Italy. By examining the relation between religious pluralism, religious freedom and refugee rights through the comparative approach of two national contexts, this research can significantly contribute to the exchange of knowledge and offer a better understanding of methodological needs when intersecting research on migration and religious diversity. The results provided by this type of analysis could highlight the particularities and sensitivities toward certain aspects and dimensions of migration-religion dynamics through the prism of youth, thus offering valuable knowledge and a basis for future research.

What is a Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) within COREnet?

A Short-Term Scientific Mission, funded by the COST Action COREnet, consists of a visit to a host organization located in a different country to the country of affiliation of a Researcher in order to carry out specific work as part of a research project. In addition to research purposes, Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) are aimed to support researchers’ individual mobility, to strengthen existing networks and to foster collaboration between individuals. The purpose of a STSM is thus to gain new partnerships, to learn new techniques and to gain access to specific data, instruments and/or methods not available in their own institutions/organizations.