ImmigrantImmigrant Religions and gCivic Social

CapitalAlex Stepick, Ph.D.

Visiting Fulbright Professor, Humboldt UniversityDirector, Immigration & Ethnicity Institute

Professor of Anthropolog & SociologProfessor of Anthropology & Sociology

Carol Dutton StepickDirector of Research

Research Institute for Social and Economic Policy and IEIFlorida International University

1

Florida International UniversityMiami , FloridaStepick@fiu.eduChurches & Charity in the Immigrant

City. Rutgers University Press, 2009

Primary Theoretical Points– What determines civic

engagement of religious organizationsreligious organizations and individuals within those organizations?

– Concept of Civic– Concept of Civic Social Capital, which isE t f– Emergent from Interaction of Structure and Agency

2

This will be accomplished by…Defining CSC– Defining CSC

• Bonding• Bridging• Linking

– Delineate Determinants of It?• Context of Reception Reactive Identity and Response• Context of Reception – Reactive Identity and Response• Leadership

– Weber’s ProphetsB di ’ H bi– Bordieu’s Habitus

– What Is NOT (so) Important• Denomination

3

Religion in the USAmericans more likely than Europeans to say religion

is very important to them.is very important to them. US Europe

Religion is Important to Me 60% 20%

I know God really exists 63% 20-25%

God prerequisite toGod prerequisite to morality 58% 13-33%

Attend worship at

4

pleast once a

week44% 15%

Chapt Churches Denomination Ethnic Majority 1 Miami Catholic

Archdiocese Catholic Historically Important to

Cuban Refugees 2 The Ref gees Ad entist Se enth Da Ad entist C ban Dominant ithOur Study2 The Refugees Adventist Seventh 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

• Pew Gateway Cities

y p West Perrine Christian

Association Various Protestant Congregations

African American

5 St. Agatha Catholic Cuban 6 San Juan Bosco Catholic Cuban Leaders with

Ni

• Mixed Methods– Map “all” religious

Nicaraguan congregants7 Mainstream Protestant

Churches Various Protestant Denominations

African American

8 Our Lady of Divine Providence

Catholic Nicaraguan Map all religious institutions

– Congregational

Providence 9 St. Ann’s Mission Catholics Mexican 10 Emmanuel Apostolic

Monument of Faith First Born Christian Center

i i h f h ld

Pentecostal West Indian

g gEthnographies

– Survey of

Unity Light of the World Sierra Norwood Baptist West Indian, primarily

Jamaican Christ the King Catholic West Indian, primarily

TrinidadianyUniversity Freshmen 5

TrinidadianChurch of the Ascencion Episcopalian West Indian

11 1,334 person survey Mix of Christian Denominations and Other Faiths

Mixed Ethnic College Freshman

What Is Civic Social Capital?• What is Civic?

Social relations beyond one’s–Social relations beyond one s family

• What is Social Capital?–Extension of Coleman and–Extension of Coleman and

Bourdieu, Reformulation of P t

6

Putnam

Diff Ki d f CSCDifferent Kinds of CSC

• Bonding• Bridging• Linking

7

B diBonding• People who are

socially similar

8

Bridging Social Capital

• People who are socially different

• Service• Volunteerism

9

Linking Social Capital

• People who are socially different y– AND

• have differenthave different amounts of powerpower

10

Religious gDeterminants of Civic

Engagement

• Context of ReceptionContext of Reception• Leadershipp

11

Context of Reception• How the Host Society Treats

Newcomers, i.e. immigrants, g

12

Welcome: Positive Reception

• Produces smoother integration

• Cubans and US federal

t• Easier access to power

government• “Created”

C th liCatholic church in MiamiMiami

13

Rejection: Negative• Rejection produces

reactive responseEmphasis on– Emphasis on difference

– Political protestPolitical protest– Haitians, Central

Americans, Muslims post 9/11

• Impact of reactive d

14

response and protest depends on…

Religious Leadership

• Effective Leaders Embody Linking y gSocial Capital

• Weber’s ProphetsWeber s Prophets– Charisma

Divine Inspiration with– Divine Inspiration with a social vision

– Lead by example15

– Lead by example

Bourdieu’s Habitus

• Interactive relationship between leaders, congregation and societyg g y

• Leadership that responds to needs, desires of congregants andof congregants and

• which effectively reaches out to society

16

Typology of Civic Social Capital Activitiesyp gy pExhibited by Congregations and College Youth

G hi T f A ti itGeographic Focus of Activity and Type of Social Capital

Type of ActivityCivic Social Capital

Linking Social Capital

Bridging Social Capital

Bonding Social Capital

Formal Politics Service, Social & Cultural Religious & Spiritual Formal Politics VolunteeringLocal 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

thBaptist Disciples Nazarene

St. Agatha’s Divine Providence Notre Dame d’Haiti

Refugees 7th Day Adventist

U.S. National African American Mainstream P t t t

College Youth

ProtestantsNotre Dame d’Haiti Miami Catholic Archdiocese

Transnational Notre Dame d’Haiti St Agatha

St. Agatha’s Divine Providence

7th Day Adventist San Juan Bosco

Pentecostal West Indians

17

St. Agatha Divine Providence San Juan Bosco St. Agatha’s

IndiansSt. Ann’s Notre Dame, d’Haiti

So,…• Americans and Immigrants in America are

comparatively highly religious• Whether they engage the broader society• Whether they engage the broader society

or not, or how they engage it depends on…C t t f R ti h th• Context of Reception, how they are received

• Leadership– Projects moral authority and,– Links congregants with power or people who

have power

18

Churches & Charity in the Immigrant City