Dalla ‘perdita’ alla ricostruzione identitaria: Elementi per una nuova teoria sulla diversità culturale dalla prospettiva delle famiglie ‘cristiano-musulmane’

Historically interpreted as the 'litmus test of assimilation' and/or religious secularization, the growing debate on ‘mixed’ families (and the related struggles that underlie its definition) reveals the limits and complexity of the theorization of cultural diversity. Existing theories often view interreligious or interethnic marriages as leading to a linear process of ethnic-racial ‘dilution’ and religious ‘decline/loss’. Focusing on the emblematic case of ‘Christian-Muslim’ families and providing empirical examples from qualitative research conducted in Italy on both the couple dimension and children's identities, this article discusses the theoretical implications of the broader debate on mixedness for understanding cultural diversity and its societal consequences. It ultimately advances the formulation of a new theory on cultural diversity capable of explaining the multiple processes these families intersect. The conclusions thus discuss the proposed shift from the paradigm of ‘loss/dilution’ to that of identity ‘reconstruction.’