Islam and Religious Pluralization in Italy: Between Cultural Catholicism and the Politics of Recognition

The article examines the pluralization of the Italian religious landscape through the lens of the Muslim presence, exploring how cultural Catholicism and state governance interact in shaping the politics of recognition. Drawing on sociological, legal, and ethnographic perspectives, it traces the historical evolution of Islam in Italy—from the first migratory flows to the emergence of new generations and associative forms—highlighting the tension between visibility and institutional marginality. The analysis situates the Italian case within broader European debates on religious pluralism, demonstrating how Catholicism continues to operate as a pervasive symbolic code that structures public morality and social cohesion. The Intesa model, rather than ensuring equality, reflects a differentiated regime of recognition that reveals the limits of Italian secularism and the persistence of a Catholic monopoly in the public sphere.