Multiculturalism, gentrification, and Islam in the public space: the case of Baitul Mukarram in Lavapiés

Abstract

In plural and secular societies today, religious communities understand access to public space as a right to the city. This right legitimises their status as social actors and, through various notions linked to modernity and transparency, entitles them to have a public life and be recognised by others. By examining the case of Bangladeshi Muslims in Lavapiés, one of Madrid’s multicultural district undergoing intense gentrification and touristification processes, this article analyses the conditions through which this community accesses public space and achieves legitimisation and recognition through different practices and discourses displayed in a variety of events and festivities.

In plural and secular societies today, religious communities understand access to public space as a right to the city. This right legitimises their status as social actors and, through various notions linked to modernity and transparency, entitles them to have a public life and be recognised by others. By examining the case of Bangladeshi Muslims in Lavapiés, one of Madrid’s multicultural district undergoing intense gentrification and touristification processes, this article analyses the conditions through which this community accesses public space and achieves legitimisation and recognition through different practices and discourses displayed in a variety of events and festivities.