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Programme: accepted abstracts

Abstract ID: 325

Part of Session 116: God in the City (Other abstracts in this session)

Political Empowerment of Immigrants through Language Development and Participation in church life

Authors: Reyes, Xaé Alicia
Submitted by: Reyes, Xaé Alicia (University of Connecticut, United States of America)

People moving into new communities seek places to congregate with like-minded people. Very often, the local church is one of the first places to make connections with others in similar circumstances. In some cases, language becomes a factor for participation and passivity characterizes early stages of most of the interactions. Other factors that influence the levels of participation include similarities in educational and social class backgrounds. Leadership roles and higher visibility are often awarded to members of the group with higher status along these lines.

      In examining the patterns of inclusion in church settings in the United States (U.S.), there have been discussions of approaches to immigration and the embracing of immigrants’ home cultures. In the earlier years of immigration movements, the concern was for “assisting” migrants. This focus on assisting immigrants included the learning of cultural norms and languages of the newcomers without integrating these into the practices of the host church communities. For this reason, in recent times, the church, specifically the Catholic church in the U.S., has reconfigured their approach and it now seeks to incorporate aspects of the newcomer cultures and practices in their celebrations.

       With regard to Latino immigrants in the U.S., The focus on diversity and multicultural perspectives has been encouraged through initiatives such as Hispanic ministries in Latino communities. The incorporation of celebrations of different avocations such as Our Lady of Guadalupe, and addition of music and celebrations from Hispanic traditions, have been adopted in order to attract and meet the needs of immigrant Latino Catholics

        The struggles of Latino/as for educational equity and access have been well documented in the literature (Padilla, 1997). As the issues of lower academic performance and underachievement by Latino/as are researched, much is said regarding the role of parents in the educational process.  Issues of alleged lack of parental involvement in the education of their children have been mentioned and explained in terms of differences in language and cultural behaviors of parents (Valdes, 1996). Attention has also turned to institutional practices and norms that seem to alienate and further distance parents from educational settings (“Strong families, strong schools” report.).

        In this paper, I will discuss participation in community events, in churches and the ethos of civic engagement as discussed by Putnam (2000). I will examine the processes and behaviors which may influence the development of voice and the empowerment of Latino/as in educational settings. Findings from ethnographic data collected through more than 10 years of participant observation in communities, schools, and churches located in urban settings in 2 northeastern states are discussed.  Potential intersections of successful strategies for engagement  and integration without total assimilation into the host society are considered.