Interreligious Friendships in Italian Multicultural Schools

Using Allport’s Contact Theory (ACT) and Intergroup Friendship Theory framework, this chapter delves into empirical research, promoted by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) and conducted within Northern Italy’s multicultural secondary schools, where students with a migrant background are concentrated. We aim at exploring intergroup friendships in school environments, while considering the impact of religious identity on the attitudes of the students with different backgrounds attending Italian schools. The use of qualitative methods seems vital to grasp the intricate interreligious interactions in intergroup contacts, aiding the understanding of the complex relationships and perspectives shaping ethnic and religious divides. Based on seven focus groups with 74 adolescents aged 11–14, our analysis explores whether student’s cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity facilitates or inhibits intergroup friendships, taking into accounts diverse factors (i.e., ethnicity, religion, gender, and citizenship) and attempting to sketch a more complex analysis of the dynamics between majority and minority groups within the institutional and regulated school environment.