Interfaith Home Decorating: An Exploration of Religiosity and Home Artifacts within British Interfaith Hybrid Coupledom

Abstract

Religious homemaking practices often include the use of objects in religious rituals that help to reaffirm collective belonging to a religious identity.¹ Although individuals can participate in religious homemaking practices, this chapter is concerned with the way domestic material culture is used to express intersectional belonging within interfaith marriages, which are becoming more prevalent in Britain.² The 2001 Census data in England and Wales revealed approximately 2 percent of British marriages were reported as inter-ethnic.³ The present study will examine the negotiation process of religious identities and practices within British interfaith Muslim–Christian relationships, through the expression of coupledom within the home.⁴ Drawing from four case-study interviews, this chapter argues that the interviewees’ narratives on religiosity and home artifacts reflect the intersectionality of ethnicity, gender and religious identity markers within British interfaith hybrid coupledom.⁵