Exploring identity among Arab and Pakistan immigrant women

Little empirical work has focused on Arab Muslim immigrant who live in the European countries, particularly Arab Muslim adolescents or young adults. The present study explores identity representations of 31 immigrant women (N=15 adult; N=16 adolescent) coming from Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan living in Italy. Data include in-depth interviews (N=31) with adult and young women of Moroccan (N=10), Egyptian (N=10) and Pakistani (N=10) origin. Ethnic and national identifications, and various components of identity representation have analysed (cultural, religious and role identity; real, ideal and normative self-description) in order to compare the acculturation experience lived by the first and the second generation of Arab and Pakistani immigrant women. Findings about adolescent immigrants show the weakness both of ethnic ("Arab", "Moroccan")and national identification ("Italian"), but the strenght of religious (Muslim) and social identification as "minority or immigrant groups. Identity components description point out the presence of various complex and ambivalent areas of negotiation, involving ingroup and outgroups comparisons. Finding are discussed in light of the country of origin, the migration history and the ongoing integration difficulties faced by Muslim immigrants in European countries.