Shi’a Women in Italy: Between Tradition and Traditionalism

Abstract

Through the case study of 20 Shi’a organisations in Italy, this article aims to explore the meanings of traditionalism and how it grows among certain Shi’a women who are members of these organisations. The article compares the two differing and antithetical ways in which Shi’a women relate to their traditions, one being spontaneous and emotional, the other rational and discursive. The primary objective is to show that the rationalisation of tradition, or traditionalism, develops only among women willing and capable of relating to their European host context. Instead of an organic tendency, Shi’a traditionalism emerges in this case as a reaction to Italian society, tailored to deal with the social concerns that surface in the Apennine peninsula. The social concerns eventually propel women to revamp their religious heritage.