Beyond Retribution: Recognition Regimes and the Institutional Politics of Muslim Integration in Western Europe

Abstract

This extended research summary presents the conceptual framework and comparative argument of the article “Beyond Retribution: Recognition Regimes and the Institutional Politics of Muslim Integration in Western Europe.” Comparing Germany, Austria, France, and the Netherlands, the study examines how institutional arrangements can provide credible alternatives to cycles of self-authorised retaliation and political retribution. It develops the concept of the “recognition regime” to describe configurations of public resource commitment, professional formation and accreditation, representation and accountability, and statutory durability through which states incorporate minority religions. The article also introduces the “retribution trap” as an institutional feedback mechanism in which prior injury is invoked to justify suspension of otherwise accepted legal or moral constraints. Through structured comparison, the study distinguishes symbolic recognition from durable institutional capacity and develops the concept of institutional reciprocity among state institutions, Muslim community organisations, and individuals. It does not claim that recognition regimes independently determine violence, trust, radicalisation, or aggregate integration; rather, it argues that accredited formation, public accountability, reciprocal responsibility, and durable institutional anchoring can strengthen ordinary channels for processing conflict. This Zenodo record provides an extended public research summary only. The complete manuscript is currently under editorial review and is not reproduced here.