3111 - “New” Religions in the United States and Social Justice

Session Submission Type: Invited Session

Description

American sociologists have mostly studied Christianity and Judaism, though a smaller stream of research has focused on post-1965 migrants and their “new” religions. Even Hinduism and Islam (And Sikhism) have been practiced in the US from the earlier decades of the 20th century, establishing the spaces for these religions remains a socio-political struggle for justice. Within the US, assumptions about religion and secularism are typically based on the structures of Christianity; diverse groups of Hindus and Muslims have to fit their practices into these structures. This session will focus on (a) better methodological approaches to study these religions, and (b) the impediments practitioners encounter in the US, as well as the ways in which they resist some of the challenges.

Sub Unit

• Thematic Session

Session Organizer

• Shweta Majumdar Adur, California State University-Los Angeles

Presider

• Shweta Majumdar Adur, California State University-Los Angeles

Individual Presentations

• The Women Living Hinduism and Islam Project: Lessons Learned and New Directions - Anjana Narayan, California State Polytechnic University Pomona

• “Living Muslim” and “Being Muslim”: Women of the South Asian Diaspora Negotiate Religion - Nazli Kibria, Boston University

• Caste Resistance in the United States - Prema Ann Kurien, Syracuse University