The construction of hybrid identity among second-generation Arab Muslims in Italy: cultural heritage, daily experiences, and legal frameworks

Individual and collective identities are dynamic, shaped by cultural heritage, lived experience, and the sociopolitical environment. This paper explores how second-generation Arab migrants in Italy perceive and construct their identities, emphasizing the development of hybrid forms of belonging. These identities emerge from the intersection of inherited cultural references and the realities of living in a society that often views them as outsiders. Rather than being fully assimilated or wholly tied to their parents’ countries of origin, second-generation individuals draw selectively on both tangible and intangible elements of cultural heritage, forging new frameworks of meaning and belonging. Cultural heritage comprises traditions, values, spaces, and artifacts transmitted across generations, playing a vital role in shaping individual and collective identities. For second-generation Arab Muslims in Italy, however, heritage is not simply inherited but actively negotiated and reinterpreted. This paper explores how these individuals construct hybrid identities by selectively integrating cultural elements from both their Arab Muslim origins and the Italian context. The analysis also critically examines the limits of citizenship as a tool for integration. While legal citizenship may place individuals within a formal framework, it fails to address the deeper questions of cultural inclusion and recognition. Within migrant families, a generational divide often emerges: whereas the first generation experiences citizenship as something earned, the second generation sees it as a right that is frequently denied, despite being born and raised in Italy. Drawing on international and regional frameworks—including the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001), the Global Compact for Migration (2018), and the EU’s Common Basic Principles for Immigrant Integration Policy—this paper calls for a shift in how Italy conceptualizes integration, citizenship, and identity. Second-generation Arab Muslims are not marginal others, but active agents shaping Italy’s evolving multicultural landscape.