Cosa C'è Dietro (what’s behind): An ethnographic study of moral markets and religious labor in Milan, Italy

Lauren Crossland-Marr

My dissertation research focuses on food certifications in Milan, Italy. In my research, I work in two certification contexts: a halal certification label and a Made in Italy label. Both halal and Made in Italy labels target global consumption and guarantee purity and origin. Unlike Made in Italy, however, halal certifications seek to incorporate origin and quality standards based on interpretations of the Koran and the Hadith. To understand if these seemingly different approaches intersect, my research compares the ways business people work to merge ethical and moral concerns with global market standards.