Religion and the New Immigrants: Continuities and Adaptations in Immigrant Congregations - Hardcover

Ebaugh, Helen Rose; Chafetz, Janet Saltzman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0742503895 ISBN 13: 9780742503892

Publisher: AltaMira Press,U.S., 2000

Synopsis

New immigrants-those arriving since the Immigration Reform Act of 1965-have forever altered American culture and have been profoundly altered in turn. Although the religious congregations they form are often a nexus of their negotiation between the old and new, they have received little scholarly attention. Religion and the New Immigrants fills this gap. Growing out of the carefully designed Religion, Ethnicity and the New Immigration Research project, Religion and the New Immigrants combines in-depth studies of thirteen congregations in the Houston area with seven thematic essays looking across their diversity.

About this title

Product Description:

Religion and the New Immigrants New immigrants have forever altered American culture and been profoundly altered in turn. Although the immigrant religious congregations are often a nexus of their negotiation between the old and the new, they have recieved little scholarly attention. This text aims to fill this gap. Full description

Review:

This book's descriptive richness makes it an excellent resource for anyone interested in the place of religion in the lives of new American immigrants and for those engaged in general discussions about the importance of religion in shaping people's group identities in modernity.--Slavica Jakelic, (Boston College) "Religious Studies Review "

The Immigration and Reform Act of 1965 created a wave of immigration similar to the waves of the 19th and early 20th Century. Unlike those earlier waves, which were overwhelmingly from Europe, immigrants since 1965 are largely from Asia, Latin America, and the Arab world. Ebaugh and Chafetz, both Professors of Sociology at the University of Houston, have capitalized on their location in one of the major gateway cities for these recent immigrants to make this fascinating study of new immigrant religions. This is done in two ways, each valuable in itself, but the whole is greater than the sum of the parts: The parts are thirteen case studies of immigrant congregations plus thematic chapters that analyze and compare. The result is thus richly descriptive but also theoretically fulfilling, a valuable contribution to the religion-and-immigration literature.--Phillip Hammond, (University of California, Santa Barbara)

It is impossible to understand the place of religions in the U.S. today if we ignore the role of the many and diverse congregations of recent immigrants. Taking advantage of a "natural laboratory" in the city of Houston, where nearly a quarter of the populace is foreign-born, Ebaugh, Chafetz and their research team provide us with informative vignettes of congregations of immigrant Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Zoroastrians, among others. This book is rich in comparative description, giving us a glimpse into the vitality of ethnic religiosity. Interpretive chapters add analysis of such important themes as women's roles, language conflicts, socializing the second generation, and the reproduction of ethnicity. This book is required reading for an appreciation of the enormous religious diversity that already exists in the United States.--Meredith McGuire, (Trinity University)

Sociologists in general, and those interested in religion and immigration in particular, need a book such as Religion and the New Immigrants because it provides such an excellent overview of America's diverse religious landscape and the way new arrivals are transforming it....This book fills an important lacuna in the sociology of religion. It also advances the field by bringing to light so many questions that still need to be asked....In short, this is a valuable, engaging book that tells us a lot about the changing nature of the American religious landscape and points us in directions we still need to go.--Peggy Levitt, (Wellesley College) "Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion "

Overall, these last seven chapters are the sociological heart of the book and make it a must read for anyone interested in the sociology of religion or immigrant population studies.--Kevin D. Breault and Alesia Pennington, (Middle Tennessee State University) "Catholic Issues "

[Its] arrangement makes for easy comparisons of congregations... The book provides illuminating insight into the inner workings of immigrant congregations, revealing the challenges they face as well as the communal support they provide. Recommended for undergraduates and above.--C. R. Pair, (California State University, Long Beach) "CHOICE "

This book makes an important contribution to its field and should be required reading for anyone working or interest in the area. By its own admission, much work remains to be done. Even when this arrives, however, Ebaugh and Chafetz still sill have supplied a significant component and will have helped demonstrate the independent role of religion in the immigrant experience.--Peter Beyer, (University of Ottawa) "American Journal of Sociology "

this book is an excellent addition to research on new immigrants and religion and will most likely be consulted by scholars on the topic for some time.--Michael Wilkinson, (Nazarene University College, Calgary AB) "Sociology of Religion: A Quarterly Review "

This is a strong contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of American religion. Ebaugh and Chafetz and their colleagues have boldly tackled the puzzling complexity of new immigrant religions--and managed to make sense of them. Their secret is combining close-up observations in a dozen congregations with a comparative focus that sorts out dominant themes and trends. Students of immigration will want to read this book to see what they have missed by ignoring religion. Scholars interested in religion will find it must-reading for their own teaching and research.--Robert Wuthnow, Princeton University

Religion and the New Immigrants is a fascinating comparative ethnography, across nationalities and religious faiths, of the diversity and dilemmas of immigrant religious social life. It examines the functions of immigrant congregations for the reproduction of ethnicity. It also looks at the conflicts and contradictions these congregations engender as they seek to 'pass it on' to an Americanized second generation--who are more often alienated than attracted by the very features that fulfill their parents' needs. This unique and illuminating study will become a standard reference for future research in this field.--Rubén G. Rumbaut, (Michigan State University)

About this edition

• Publisher: AltaMira Press,U.S.
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0742503895
• ISBN 13: 9780742503892
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 496