Should we Talk about Religion? Migrant Associations, Local Politics and Representations of Religious Diversity: The Case of Sikh Communities in Central Italy

Abstract

This chapter offers some preliminary insights on how religious difference is constructed and acted upon by migrants and local society. It brings together three different ethnographies of Sikh communities in Central Italy: Rome, Reggio Emilia and Terni. The chapter analyzes the interplay between Sikh associations, Gurdwaras, civil society, Catholic parishes and regional and local political institutions in producing different and often conflicting meanings of religious diversity and how this has changed in the last decade. In developing a comparative perspective, the chapter attempts to trace continuities and discontinuities across different national localities with respect to the role played by religion in migrants' histories of encounter with local society. The chapter moves from the recognition that, at present, regional locality constitutes one of the most relevant arenas where religious difference is recognised and acted upon by migrants, institutional actors and civil society. The case of Sikh communities reveals to be interesting. Keywords: Central Italy; illegal migrants; migrant associations; Reggio Emilia; religious diversity; Sikh communities; Terni