Religie, ras, gender

Gemengde moslim-niet-moslim-koppels in België

Samenvatting

This article explores the experiences of interreligious couples by analyzing preliminary findings from a research project in Belgium. It focuses on couples in which one partner is Muslim, and the other is non-religious, Christian or Jewish. ‘Mixedness’ is approached as potentially comprising various types of difference and inequality, because religious difference is often racialized and gendered. The article explores the narratives of 24 interviewees with the following research question: how is ‘mixedness’ negotiated in everyday life? It foregrounds the empirical themes of individual religious change, children’s education, family interactions and racism. First, the analysis shows that mixed couples are a relevant domain for exploring religious agency as a relational phenomenon. Second, it shows that the everyday life of mixed couples is co-shaped by notions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ religion, which especially problematize Muslimness within mixed families. Ultimately, the article argues that mixed couples’ formations of individual selves and family life reinforce, contest and reimage the gendered religio-racial formations in which they are embedded.