Centocelle—Between Urban Spatiality and Religious Diversity: Anatomy of a Changing Neighbourhood in Rome

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Overall, this is a nice piece, well researched and presented.

I assume that all relevant studies on Centocelle have been taken into account (perhaps there aren't any – I'm not very familiar with the place). The study argues in a very ‘microsociological’ way (which is good), but it would benefit more if ‘Centocelle’ were embedded in a larger context. For example, other studies (on other cities or neighbourhoods) where an Islamic centre has also been established could be mentioned. For example, I recently heard a lecture by Peter Gottschalk on ‘Ground Zero’, near which an Islamic centre was also planned – which triggered years of debate. -- See also: Ivanova, Mina (2013). "A Stab in the Eye of America or a Center for Multi-Faith Dialogue? Ideology and Contested Rhetorics Surrounding the Proposed Muslim Community Center near New York City's Ground Zero". In Clarke Rountree (ed.). Venomous Speech: Problems with American Political Discourse on the Right and Left. 

In Chapter 2 (The neighbourhood of Centocelle), some information on the historical development of the district (including the settlement of religious communities and their buildings) should be added. This historical background is important for understanding current developments. 

Is Al Huda present in other Italian cities? (I.e.: for readers it would be interesting to know if this is unique or quite normal for the bigger cities.)

Regarding Chapter 4: please be aware that ‘cultural memory’ (Assmann) is not what you have examined: namely, collective oral memory. CM, on the other hand, is more fixed (e.g. ‘chronicles’ or other things that survive generations). 

Pictures: pls. provide better quality for print.

Overall: the English is fine, but could be slightly improved (by a native speaker). 

Author Response

Thank you very much for your suggestions. I have taken them into consideration for the final revision of my manuscript.

My main aim was to offer a spatially delineated account, oriented primarily toward examining the current dynamics that have arisen around the prayer centre, grounded in a microsociological inquiry engaging with the spatial turn.

The decision, in the second chapter, not to dwell too much on historical descriptions was mainly driven by the fact to focus on the description of Al HUDA prayer centre as a unique reality in Rome and in Italy.

The paragraph concerning collective memory has been modified.

Moreover, in keeping with the scope of the Special Issue, this contribution does not intend to present a historical analysis—although such a perspective may be addressed in a subsequent, separate investigation

With regard to the pictures, I have included in the revised manuscript figures of higher quality for printing, 

Kind regards.

 

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear author,

I strongly suggest to include the design of the questionnaire of the semi-structured interviews in order to allow the reader to understand better the relation between the answers that were retrieved from the participants and the results.

Other comments (mostly language-related) in the attached pdf.

Best wishes....

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

...at times quite complicated sentence structures, several other language issues are addressed (although I am not a native speaker myself).

Author Response

Thank you for your review of my article.

Regarding the field research, I primarily relied on in-depth interviews and informal conversations, from which I extracted the most relevant information, cross-referencing it with statistical data and ethnographic observation.

I also appreciate your feedback on academic English; it has encouraged me to revise the entire article from a more academic perspective.

With regard to the pictures, I have included in the revised manuscript figures of higher quality for printing, 

Kind regards, 

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Although the article addresses a relevant topic — namely, how the presence of the Islamic community has influenced the urban configuration of the Centocelle district — this core hypothesis cannot be fully substantiated without the inclusion of cartographic or graphic material that visually demonstrates the claimed urban transformation.

It would be essential to include comparative maps or plans that show how the area looked before and after the establishment of the Islamic community. Such materials would not only add visual rigor but also serve to support and strengthen the article’s arguments through tangible and illustrative evidence.

Regarding the social dimension, the use of interviews is appropriate, but the methodology lacks detail. The authors should clarify the percentage of participation, the profile of the interviewees, possible biases, and the representativeness of the voices included in the study.

It should also be noted that the figures currently included are often pixelated or not particularly illustrative. Photographs should be more representative and function as real visual support for the described processes.

I recommend the authors refer to examples such as this article in Buildings (MDPI):
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/13/6/1370
which clearly demonstrates how graphic and textual work can be integrated in a complementary way, providing a coherent and visually grounded analysis of the case study.

In short, I believe the article explores a highly interesting topic with great potential, but it requires substantial improvements in its visual and cartographic contributions in order to meet the standards of a high-level academic publication.

Author Response

 

Thank you for your review of my article.

Regarding the field research, I primarily relied on in-depth interviews and informal conversations, from which I extracted the most relevant information, cross-referencing it with statistical data and ethnographic observation.

Thank you for your suggestion regarding the use of maps and cartographic tools. I will explore this area further and take it into consideration for a possible integration in another article.

With regard to the pictures, I have included in the revised manuscript figures of higher quality for printing, 

Kind regards, 

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This is a promising paper which engages with the spatial turn through grounded research in a culturally diverse neighbourhood of Rome. It could be a strong contribution to the special issue, although I disagree with the claim of the special issue editors that "there is a glaring knowledge gap around the role of religious minorities in the sedimentation of cultural memories and heritage in the city". There have been a number of recent British publications concerning "sedimentation of cultural memories and heritage" and since Centocelle is a place where Bangladeshi migrants have settled, some of these papers have focused on Bangladeshi settlement in London. So the international appeal of this paper could be enhanced by engaging with similar research in other urban centres across W. Europe - not only London.

As regards particular issues I have raised a number in the file attached here. For example, the conflation of Islamic and Muslim is highly questionable. Anglophone scholars usually deploy Islamic when referring to religion whereas Muslim is assumed to be broader referring to cultural identity where people may not be involved in religious belief and practice.  

  

 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The language needs serious attention. I have edited the first six pages to indicate what could be done to make it more readable for an Anglophone audience.

Author Response

Thank you for the valuable suggestions you provided, and especially for highlighting the distinction between the use of the adjectives *Muslim* and *Islamic*.

I greatly appreciated your linguistic recommendations and took the opportunity to revise several paragraphs that were somewhat convoluted, in order to render them in English with a greater academic rigor.

With regard to the pictures, I Have included in the revised manuscript figures of higher quality for printing. 

Kind regards, 

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors