This is Not a Space for Politics: Intergenerational Disagreements about the Church Space

• In Event: 1580 - Section on Sociology of Religion Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 03. Qualitative Studies of Church Culture

Abstract

Scholars of immigrant religion focus on the role of religion for immigrants and their children. Studies describing intergenerational conflict largely limit themselves to examining how conflicts arise due to intergenerational differences within the immigrant group. This paper brings attention to the role of urban religion and ways in which place impact life experiences and beliefs of both the first and second-generation. Based on participant observation and interviews with 30 second-generation Christian Indian Americans, we point to the divergent understanding of the church and expectations of the appropriate behavior within the church. Our data suggest that for the first and second-generation, the understanding of the sacred space is both ‘physical’- connected to the church space and ‘cultural’- pointing to the expectations of appropriate behavior within the church space.

Authors

• Soulit Chacko, Loyola University-Chicago

• Rhys H. Williams, Loyola University-Chicago