Religions and Civic Social Capital

Transcription

1 Churches & Charity in the Immigrant City. Rutgers University Press, 2009 Immigrant Religions and Civic Social Capital Alex Stepick, Ph.D. Visiting Fulbright Professor, Humboldt University Director, Immigration & Ethnicity Institute Professor of Anthropology & Sociology Carol Dutton Stepick Director of Research Research Institute for Social and Economic Policy and IEI Florida International University Miami, Florida 1

2 Primary Theoretical Points What determines civic engagement of religious organizations and individuals within those organizations? Concept of Civic Social Capital, which is Emergent from Interaction of Structure and Agency 2

3 This will be accomplished by Defining CSC Bonding Bridging Linking Delineate Determinants of It? Context of Reception Reactive Identity and Response Leadership Weber s Prophets Bordieu s Habitus What Is NOT (so) Important Denomination 3

4 Religion in the US Americans more likely than Europeans to say religion is very important to them. US Europe Religion is Important to Me 60% 20% I know God really exists 63% 20-25% God prerequisite to 58% 13-33% morality Attend worship at least once a week 44% 15% 4

5 Chapt Churches Denomination Ethnic Majority 1 Miami Catholic Archdiocese Catholic Historically Important to Cuban Refugees 2 The Refugees Our Adventist Seventh enth Study Day Adventist Cuban Dominant with Other Hispanics The Disciples Nazarene Nazarene Mixed Hispanic 3 Notre Dame d Haiti Catholic Haitian 4 Sweet Home Missionary Baptist African American West Perrine Christian Various Protestant African American Association Pew Gateway Congregations 5 St. Agatha Catholic Cuban 6 San Cities Juan Bosco Catholic Cuban Leaders with Nicaraguan congregants 7 Mainstream Protestant Various Protestant African American Churches Mixed Methods Denominations 8 Our Lady of Divine Catholic Nicaraguan Providence Map all religious 9 St. Ann s Mission Catholics Mexican 10 Emmanuel Apostolic institutions Pentecostal West Indian Monument of Faith First Born Christian Congregational Center g Unity Light of the World Sierra Norwood Ethnographies Baptist West Indian, primarily Jamaican Christ the King Catholic West Indian, primarily Survey of Trinidadian Church of the Ascencion Episcopalian West Indian University 11 1,334 person survey Mix of Christian Mixed Ethnic College Denominations and Freshman Freshmen Other Faiths 5

6 What Is Civic Social Capital? What is Civic? Social relations beyond one s family What is Social Capital? Extension of Coleman and Bourdieu, Reformulation of Putnam 6

7 Different Kinds of CSC Bonding Bridging Linking 7

8 People who are socially similar Bonding 8

9 Bridging Social Capital People who are socially different Service Volunteerism 9

10 Linking Social Capital People who are socially different AND have different amounts of power 10

11 Religious Determinants of Civic Engagement Context of Reception Leadership 11

12 Context of Reception How the Host Society Treats Newcomers, i.e. immigrants 12

13 Welcome: Positive Reception Produces smoother integration Easier access to power Cubans and US federal government Created Cthli Catholic church in Miami 13

14 Rejection: Negative Rejection produces reactive response Emphasis on difference Political protest Haitians, Central Americans, Muslims post 9/11 Impact of reactive response and protest depends on 14

15 Religious Leadership Effective Leaders Embody Linking Social Capital Weber s Prophets Charisma Divine Inspiration with a social vision Lead by example 15

16 Bourdieu s Habitus Interactive relationship between leaders, congregation g and society Leadership that responds to needs, desires of congregants and which effectively reaches out to society 16

17 Typology of Civic Social Capital Activities Exhibited by Congregations and College Youth Geographic Type of Activity it Focus of Civic Social Capital Activity and Type of Social Linking Social Capital Bridging Social Capital Bonding Social Capital Capital Service, Social & Cultural Religious & Spiritual Formal Politics Volunteering Local African American Mainstream Protestants Sierra Norwood Refugee Disciples College Youth Christ the King Church of the Ascencion San Juan Bosco Pentecostal West Indians St. Ann s Mission Divine Providence U.S. National Transnational Baptist Disciples Nazarene St. Agatha s Divine Providence Notre Dame d Haiti African American College Youth Mainstream Protestants t t Notre Dame d Haiti Miami Catholic Archdiocese Notre Dame d Haiti St. Agatha s 7 th Day Adventist St. Agatha Divine Providence SanJuanBosco St. Agatha s th Refugees 7 th Day Adventist Pentecostal West Indians St. Ann s Notre Dame, d Haiti 17

18 So, Americans and Immigrants in America are comparatively highly religious Whether they engage the broader society or not, or how they engage it depends on Context tof freception, how they are received Leadership Projects moral authority and, Links congregants with power or people who have power Churches & Charity in the Immigrant City 18