Across Europe, racialised groups and other minorities are often subject to discriminatory policies and practices. Facing Discrimination offers insight into the dynamics of religious beliefs and practices among those who are discriminated against, showing how religion as a source of agency interacts with processes of marginalization. Six micro-level studies from Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands examine stigmatised groups and individuals, analysing how religious involvement in its multiple forms and interpretations, affects the capacity to respond to exclusion and shape the acceptance or rejection of imposed categories.

Johanna M. Lems is Assistant Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Oriental Studies at the Complutense University of Madrid. She is the secretary of the academic journal Anaquel de Estudios Árabes. She has published among others in Ethnic and Racial Studies and The Routledge Handbook on Islam and Race (Abdullah, 2025) and is the author of Tomar la palabra. Islamofobia y participación política después del 15-M (Vernon Press, 2024).

Ana I. Planet Contreras is Professor in Sociology of Islam in the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Autonomous University of Madrid. She is the co-director of research group ‘Taller de Estudios Internacionales Mediterráneos’, director of academic journal Revista de Estudios Internacionales Mediterráneos and editor of Cuestiones de pluralismo. Since March 2019 she has been a member of the Advisory Committee to the Spanish government on matters of freedom of religion.

“This book addresses an important topic...the contributions are of high quality and provide analyses that are sophisticated and nuanced.” • Avi Astor, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

“This is a very interesting book with lots of rich material and relevant arguments. It offers an interesting perspective for the ways people respond to situations of discrimination and oppression.” • Julia Martínez Ariño, University of Groningen