Religion at the Corner of Bliss and Nirvana: Politics, Identity, and Faith in New Migrant Communities

Published by Duke University Press 2009

Religion at the Corner of Bliss and Nirvana

Politics, Identity, and Faith in New Migrant Communities

Edited by: Lois Ann Lorentzen , Joaquin Jay Gonzalez , Kevin M. Chun and Hien Duc Do
With contributions by: Cymene Howe

In the series e-Duke books scholarly collection

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780822391166

Overview
Contents

About this book

Analyzes the role of religion in the civic and political incorporation of new migrants to the United States, especially as religion functions as a site of reistance to cultural assimilation and as a site that facilitates social incorporation.

Author / Editor information

Lois Ann Lorentzen is Chair of Theology and Religious Studies and Director of the Center for Latino Studies in the Americas at the University of San Francisco.

Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III is Associate Professor of Politics and Director of the Yuchengco Philippine Studies Program at the University of San Francisco.

Kevin M. Chun is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Asian American Studies Program at the University of San Francisco.

Hien Duc Do is Professor of Social Sciences and Asian American Studies and Coordinator of the Asian American Studies Program at San Jose State University.

Reviews

“For scholars interested in the intersection of religion and migration, this book provides insights and data unique in the field. It would also be useful reading in graduate seminars in both the sociology of religion and international migration. I also recommend the book as an example of creative and interesting use of ethnographic data.” - Helen Rose Ebaugh, Contemporary Sociology

“[T]his is a welcome addition to the literature on religion and new immigrants, a field that most social scientists have ignored.” - Harvey J. Strum, Multicultural Review

“This book is a valuable and recommended addition to the increasing body of literature on religion and immigrant communities.”
- Ann Gleig, Religious Studies Review

”In spite of its tremendous and ambitious goal, Religion at the Corner of Bliss and Nirvana is not difficult to follow its daunting 372 pages. The writers did a fantastic job by reflecting on the different religious practices of the wide variety of immigrants in San Francisco. I was pleasantly surprised that such a difficult and complex theme kept me absorbed at all times.” - Anna Hamling, Feminist Review blog

“Religion at the Corner of Bliss and Nirvana is a welcome new compilation of research on migrants and religion. It not only addresses subjects such as identity and politics, but also gives voice to groups and institutions not often considered by religious studies, such as transnational gangs, Filipino American faith-based organizations, and adherents of the Chinese goddess Tianhou. By considering these together, this anthology offers new perspectives on the intersections of faith and immigration.”—Russell Jeung, author of Faithful Generations: Race and New Asian American Churches

“Religion at the Corner of Bliss and Nirvana offers a cornucopia of fresh insights into the multiple roles religion plays for immigrant communities, as they negotiate the challenges of settlement in the always iconoclastic city of San Francisco. It includes groundbreaking comparisons among various Asian and Latino groups, ranging from Salvadoran Pentecostals, Vietnamese Theravada Buddhists, Filipino Roman Catholics, and Chinese-American Presbyterians. The volume also stands out for its innovative and perceptive exploration of the connections among transnationalism, spiritual journeys, gender crossings, and acculturation.”—Manuel A. Vásquez, University of Florida, Gainesville

“[T]his is a welcome addition to the literature on religion and new immigrants, a field that most social scientists have ignored.”

-- Harvey J. Strum Multicultural Review

“For scholars interested in the intersection of religion and migration, this book provides insights and data unique in the field. It would also be useful reading in graduate seminars in both the sociology of religion and international migration. I also recommend the book as an example of creative and interesting use of ethnographic data.”

-- Helen Rose Ebaugh Contemporary Sociology

“This book is a valuable and recommended addition to the increasing body of literature on religion and immigrant communities.”

-- Ann Gleig Religious Studies Review

”In spite of its tremendous and ambitious goal, Religion at the Corner of Bliss and Nirvana is not difficult to follow its daunting 372 pages. The writers did a fantastic job by reflecting on the different religious practices of the wide variety of immigrants in San Francisco. I was pleasantly surprised that such a difficult and complex theme kept me absorbed at all times.”

-- Anna Hamling Feminist Review blog

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Preface: Advancing Theory and Method Lois Ann Lorentzen, Kevin M. Chun, Joaquin Jay Gonzalez iii and Hien Duc Do Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xxvii
Part 1. Gender and Sexualities
Devotional Crossings Transgender Sex Workers, Santisima Muerte, and Spiritual Solidarity in Guadalajara and San Francisco Cymene Howe, Susanna Zaraysky and Lois Ann Lorentzen Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	3
Sexual Borderlands Lesbian and Gay Migration, Human Rights, and the Metropolitan Community Church Cymene Howe Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	39
El Milagro Está en Casa Gender and Private and Public Empowerment in a Migrant Pentecostal Church Lois Ann Lorentzen and Rosalina Mira Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	69
Part 2. Acculturation
Religious Organizations in San Francisco Chinatown Sites of Acculturation for Chinese Immigrant Youth Kevin M. Chun Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	89
Immigrant Religious Adaptation Vietnamese American Buddhists at Chua Viet Nam (Vietnamese Buddhist Temple) Hien Duc Do and Mimi Khúc Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	124
Part 3. Transnationalism
Americanizing Philippine Churches and Filipinizing American Congregations Joaquin Jay Gonzalez iii Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
Creating a Transnational Religious Community The Empress of Heaven and Goddess of the Sea, Tianhou/Mazu, from Beigang to San Francisco Jonathan H. X. Lee Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	166
Ahora la Luz Transnational Gangs, the State, and Religion Lois Ann Lorentzen and Luis Enrique Bazan Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	184
Transnational Hetzmek From Oxkutzcab to San Francisco Patricia Fortuny Loret de Mola Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	207
The Latino “Springtime” of the Catholic Church Lay Religious Networks and Transnationalism from Below Sarah Horton Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	243
Part 4. Civic and Political Engagement
We Do Not Bowl Alone Cultural and Social Capital from Filipino Faiths Joaquin Jay Gonzalez iii, Andrea Maison and Dennis Marzan Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	265
Counterhegemony Finds Place in a Hegemon Activism through Filipino American Churches Joaquin Jay Gonzalez iii and Claudine del Rosario Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	285
Appendix A: Research Questions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	311
Appendix B Family Member Questionnaire of the USF Religion and Immigration Project Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	316
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	325
Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	355
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	359

Language: English
Publisher: Duke University Press
Pages
- Main content: 400
Illustrations
- Other: 21 photographs, 6 figures

eBook

Published: September 1, 2009
ISBN: 9780822391166