Religion and the New Immigrants

Helen Rose Ebaugh, Sociology Professor, University of Houston, received her Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1975 with specialties in organizational sociology and the sociology of religion. In addition to four books, she has published numerous articles in scholarly journals. She has been a faculty member at the University of Houston since 1973 and routinely teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in sociological theory, the sociology of religion and world religions. Janet Saltzman Chafetz, Professor of Sociology, has been at the University of Houston since 1971. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas, Austin, in 1969. Her most recent publications include an edited Handbook on the Sociology of Gender (1999), a review of feminist theories in Annual Review of Sociology (1997), and a paper on feminist theory and social change in Current Perspectives in Social Theory (1999). A life-long interest in immigrants, occasioned by the fact that all of her grandparents immigrated to the U.S., has finally found professional expression through joining Professor Ebaugh on this project.

This book's descriptive richness makes it an excellent resource for anyone interested in the place of religion in the lives of new American immigrants and for those engaged in general discussions about the importance of religion in shaping people's group identities in modernity.

• Chapter 1 IntroductionChapter 2 Hispanic and Asian Immigration Waves in HoustonChapter 3 Center for Vietnamese Buddhism: Recreating HomeChapter 4 Hsai-Nan Temple: Seeking to AmericanizeChapter 5 Chinese Gospel Church: The Sinicization of ChristianityChapter 6 Houston Korean Ethnic Church: An Ethnic EnclaveChapter 7 St. Mary's Catholic Church: Celebrating Domestic ReligionChapter 8 Iglesia de Dios: An Extended FamilyChapter 9 St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church: Maturing through the GenerationsChapter 10 Iglesia Christiana Evangelelica: Arriving in the PipelineChapter 11 Al-Noor Mosque: Strength Through UnityChapter 12 Jyonthi Hindu Temple: One Religion, Many PracticesChapter 13 The Zoroastrian Center: An Ancient Faith in DiasporaChapter 14 St. Catherine's Catholic Church: One Church, Parallel CongregationsChapter 15 Southwest Assembly of God: Whomsoever WillChapter 16 Environmental Impacts: Opportunities and ConstraintsChapter 17 Structural Adaptations to the Immigrant ContextChapter 18 Providing for the Needy: Social Services and Immigrant AdaptationChapter 19 Reproducing EthnicityChapter 20 Language: Cause for Unity and ConflictChapter 21 Passing it On: The Second GenerationChapter 22 Is the Past Prologue to the FutureChapter 23 BibliographyChapter 24 IndexChapter 25 About the Contributors