Inclusive university: the experience of Muslim female post-graduate students in an Italian university

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper reports on a qualitative study that explores the experiences of Iranian Muslim female post-graduate students in an Italian higher education institution. Focus groups followed by semi-structured interviews with eight post-graduate Iranian students, including veiled and unveiled females revealed that they had difficulty in achieving their goals as they felt stigmatised due to their nationality, religion, and limited knowledge of the local language. Geopolitical factors such as international sanctions and Islamophobia, and a lack of reciprocity in terms of attention to their demands on the part of institutions have a negative impact on the sense of recognition. This study corroborates the need for institutions, particularly those in non-Anglophone countries, not only to facilitate access but to provide support mechanisms and ensure access to information and basic rights for international students, in particular those from minoritized groups.