Religious identity and integration of the Albanian second generation in Europe

Literature on the second generation has highlighted the role of religion within the framework of ethnicity and the importance that ethnic identity and community have for the integration of the second generation and their transnational ties. In general lines, it has been originally assumed that the second generation will either embrace parents ethnic identity and create ethnic enclaves, or will reject the ethnicity of origin and will tend towards full assimilation. A more recent track has identified the return of the second generation to parents religion as a source of capital and a more stable identity framework that would enhance their integration. This paper focuses on Albanian first- and second-generation migrants in Europe and draws from 160 interviews and 5 focus groups conducted in London, Thessaloniki and Florence, and brings a comparative account on the religious identities and integration of these groups across the three sites. The case of the Albanian second generation in Europe consists of a new trend, which shows a religious second generation against a largely secular first generation. The attitude towards religiosity and the strength of religious identity are found to be conditioned by the centrality of religion and identity politics in the host society and socialisation processes taking place at a micro and meso level. Findings are discussed in relation to migration, ethnic minorities and integration literature.