The Eurislam project

The Eurislam consoritum project (2009-2012) was funded by the EU’s FP-7 program (Grant ID: SSH-2007-3.3.1 215863). Its broader question was about how have different traditions of national identity, citizenship, and church-state relations affected European immigration countries’ incorporation of Islam, and what are the consequences of these approaches for patterns of cultural distance and interaction between Muslim immigrants and their descendants, and the receiving society?

We arranged comparable fieldwork in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, France and the UK, and published two special issue, many article, conference papers and reports. Datasets: (1) a comparative dataset on the national opportunity structures in the six countries (WP1) (2) media analysis data to find out how the discourse on Islam and Muslims develops in these countries (WP2); (3) a survey dataset (available in DANS) targeting at the individual characteristics of Muslim immigrants and autochthonous, focusing on attitudes, norms, and values, particularly those relating to democratic norms, gender relations and family values, ethnic, religious, European and receiving society identification, and attitudes towards relations across ethnic and religious boundaries (WP3/4); (4) qualitative data on transnational families with members in different European countries; (5) qualitative data on Muslim organisations and community leaders, as well as the policy makers whose policies confront them.

Research team: Jean Tillie (PI), Anja van Heelsum, Maarten Koomen (University of Amsterdam),  Ruud Koopmans, Sarah Carol , Zuhal Kavacik (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung WZB Germany), Paul Statham, Marta Bolognani (University of Bristol, United Kingdom), Dirk Jacobs, Corinne Torrekens, Nathalie Vanparys  (Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium),  Marco Giugni, Matteo Gianni, Elisa Banfi  (Université de Genève Switzerland), Manlio Cinalli, Gabi Maas  (Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques France).

Commissioner: The European Commission (FP-7)

Publications

2017

  • Kranendonk, M., Vermeulen, F. & A. van Heelsum (2017) ‘Unpacking’ the Identity-to-Politics Link: The Effects of Social Identification on Voting among Muslim Immigrants in Western Europe, Political Psychology, DOI: 10.1111/pops.12397

2016

  • Special issue in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (2016) “The Socio-Cultural Integration of Muslims in Western Europe: comparative perspectives” by the EURISLAM Team.
  • Heelsum, A. van & M. Koomen (2016) ‘Ascription and identity. Differences between first- and second-generation Moroccans in the way ascription influences religious, national and ethnic group identification’. in Special Issue of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 42 (2) 277-291, DOI:10.1080/1369183X.2015.1102044.

2014

  • Heelsum, A. van (2014) ‘Moroccan associations in the Netherlands: how organisation leaders deal with the stigmatisation of the Moroccan community’, in: I. Handzlik & Ł. Sorokowski (eds.) Found in Multiculturalism. Acceptance or Challenge?, Bern/New York: Peter Lang Publishers, p. 91-106.
  • Heelsum, A. van (2014) ‘Muslim immigrants in six European countries and the debate in the media’, Paper for the 2014 International Metropolis Conference in Milano, 3-7 November 2014.
  • Heelsum, A. van (2014) ‘The organisations of Muslims in Europe: diversity and adjustment’, Paper for the 11th IMISCOE conference in Madrid 27-29 August 2014.

2013

 

  • Koomen, M. & A. van Heelsum (2013) ‘The impact of public debates on Muslim representative in Western Europe: the agenda setting function of mass media’, in: M. Kortmann & K. Rosenow-Williams (eds.), Islamic organisations in Europe and the USA, A multidisciplinary Perspective, Besingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp.79-94.
  • Tillie, J., M. Koomen, A. van Heelsum, A. Damstra (2013) EURISLAM. Finding a Place for Islam in Europe. Cultural Interactions between Muslim Immigrants and Receiving Societies. Final integrated report. Brussels: EURISLAM. | download.
  • Heelsum, A. van (2013) ‘Ethnic identity of Turks and Moroccans in Western Europe: position acquisition and position allocation’, Paper for the 10th IMISCOE conference 26-27 August 2013 in Malmo, Sweden | download.
  • Heelsum, A. van (2013) ‘The ‘ethno-cultural position’ reconsidered, an investigation into the usefulness of the concept when it comes to Moroccans’, in: A. van Heelsum & B. Garcés-Mascareñas (eds.), Migration and Integration Research; Filling in Penninx’s Heuristic Model (IMISCOE). Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, p. 91-104 | OPEN ACCESS.
  • SPECIAL ISSUE (2013) by the Eurislam team “Public discourses about Muslims and Islam in Europe: A comparative analysis”, Ethnicities 13(2).
  • Koomen, M., J. Tillie, A. van Heelsum & S. van Stiphout (2013) ‘Discursive framing and the reproduction of integration in the public sphere: a comparative analysis of France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany’ in a Special Issue for EURISLAM in: Ethnicities, 13(2) 191-208. DOI: DOI: 10.1177/1468796812470898 .

2011

  • Heelsum, A. van & M. Koomen (2011) EURISLAM Work package 6 Integrated report on Interviews with Muslim leaders, Brussels: Eurislam | download.

2010

  • Heelsum, A. van & S. van Stiphout (2010) ‘The Netherlands’ (chapter) in: EURISLAM Work package 2 Integrated report on Media Content, Brussels: EURISLAM (14-42) | download.

2004

  • Heelsum A. van, M. Fennema & J. Tillie (2004) Islamitische organisaties in Nederland, SCP werkdocument 106, deel V in de serie Moslim in Nederland, Den Haag: SCP

 

Sara Carroll presenting results to EU policy makers at the EURISLAM Final conference in Brussels, June 2012