The Intertwinement Between Freedom of Religion and Interreligious Dialogue: The Interreligious Field of Brescia as a Case-Study

This paper investigates the development of interreligious dialogue in Brescia, a prosperous Northern Italian city with approximately 200,000 inhabitants. Despite similarities to other cities in the region, Brescia exhibits an unusually vibrant “interreligious scene,” encompassing numerous initiatives, events, and platforms. We ask why this vitality has emerged and what consequences it has for local understandings of religious freedom. To address these questions, we combine two analytical frameworks. First, drawing on the concept of political opportunity structure, we examine Brescia’s genius loci—the specific institutional, cultural, and discursive conditions that fostered interreligious engagement. Brescia’s strong Catholic tradition and inclusive integration policies, together with a diverse migrant population, have created opportunities for religious communities—especially migrant groups—to participate and get recognized. Second, using Bourdieu’s concept of the field, we consider the power dynamics among actors involved in interreligious dialogue, highlighting how different agendas and positions shape interactions and outcomes. This analysis reveals the emergence of a relatively autonomous field of interreligious dialogue in which local stakes are being defined over what dialogue entails and how it should be practiced. By linking political opportunity structures with field theory, the paper shows how local contexts shape the conditions for religious freedom, while interreligious practices themselves, in turn, reshape the meaning and application of religious freedom.