Research On Religion » immigration

James Hudnut-Beumler on Religion in the Now South

tonygill — Sun, 27 May 2018 08:00:19 +0000

When you think if Christianity in the U.S. South, images of Southern Baptist congregations, conservative politics, and even snake-handling may come to mind. But Prof. James Hudnut-Beumler, the Anne Potter Wilson Distinguished Professor of American Religious History at Vanderbilt University, reveals that the spiritual tapestry is much more nuanced than might appear on initial glance. Prof. Hudnut-Beumler joins us to talk about his new book Strangers and Friends at the Welcome Table and reveals how several historical traditions have persisted in the region while significant transformations are also taking place.

We commence with a discussion of a definition of “the South,” which can be viewed geographically (starting just below Northern Virginia, running down to the top portion of Florida, and extending westward to Arkansas and encompassing the southern portions of Indiana and Illinois) and spiritually (those areas with a majority Southern Baptist population). Jim explains how this decade-long process took him on a “r0ad trip” around the region to experience the lives and institutions of those living in what he calls the “Now South,” a region with deep roots to its “Old Time Religion” past, but which is also changing in surprising ways. Looking at the historical roots first, we discuss how religion, food, and hospitality are intimately linked via kinship networks and a concern over scarcity being a daily lived experience. Food and visitation are viewed as an expression of love for folks who are ill, imprisoned, or otherwise facing difficult times. Jim also notes that food and hospitality also becomes a basis for various types of social activism as such community involvement is often viewed as a measure of piety. Sometimes such activism can take on hard-nosed policies towards drug addicts who are allowed assistance only if they quickly accept Jesus, or in more open terms that seek to get mentally ill individuals the help they need. We also chat about how Pentecostalism, technically a very small fraction of Southern Christians, has influenced the Christianity of the region, often leading to “Bapticostal” congregations that call their ministers bishops and have multiple offerings. Religion also manifests itself along racial lines in the South, as one might expect, and Jim talks about religiously-infused racial histories can wound but also offer up possibilities for forgiveness. He raises the horrific shooting at the Charleston Emmanuel AME Church in 2015 as an example of these racial divides and how the power of forgiveness is used not necessarily to “forgive and forget,” but to heal tragedies so it doesn’t wound the victims continuously.

The conversation then moves in the direction of the “Now South” and the new trends that have been reshaping the spiritual landscape over the past several decades. We look at how megachurches are setting new standards of worship not only for congregants in the suburbs, but in smaller rural and urban churches as well. Jim points out how the growth of homeschooling has responded to the integration of private religious schools (often called “segregation academies”). The growth of Catholicism with the influx of immigrants from Mexico and Central America has also diversified the religious tapestry of the region. And finally, we discuss the surprising increase in the number of congregations that have taken a welcoming position to the LGBT communities and how it has roiled the waters. Jim explains that while it is easy to preach hate, the culture is changing via kinship ties and the “power of one” wherein one individual can help to change the views of those around them. While still a very small minority of churches, the presence of LGBT-friendly congregations indicate progressive steps forward.

We finish off by asking Prof. Hudnut-Beumler what he would tell a younger version of Jim if he had the chance to travel back in time. The elder Jim provides some interesting words of advice for his younger self recognizing that things you never thought would have made an impression early on often come back to you as new opportunities for exploration and learning. Recorded: May 25, 2018.

Strangers and Friends at the Welcome Table, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

In Pursuit of the Almighty’s Dollar, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

The Future of Mainline Protestantism in America, edited by James Hudnut-Beumler and Mark Silk.

Looking for God in the Suburbs, by James Hudnut-Beumler.

RELATED PODCASTS

James Hudnut-Beumler on the History of Church Financing in the US.

Paul Harvey on Religion in the American South.

Lerone Martin on Preaching on Wax and Phonographic Religion.

David Dixon on Religious Rhetoric and the Civil Rights Movement.

Darin Mather on Evangelicals and Racial Attitudes.

Bradley Wright on Religion, Race, and Discrimination.

Anthony Gill on the Political Origins of Religious Liberty (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 14:45:26 +0000

Due to a series of technical difficulties with our studio line, we are rebroadcasting an interview that friend and colleague Steven Pfaff (UW Sociology) did with me nearly 5 years ago. Given that I am teaching a course on religion and politics this term, I am floating this one up to the top of the feed as an encore presentation for the students and for you. Please enjoy, and once we get the phone lines reconnected we will bring you some crescent fresh episodes.

Religious liberty has not been the normal state of affairs in world history. Indeed, religious activity has been tightly controlled by rulers across space and time. So why would political leaders ever choose to “deregulate a religion market”? This week, Anthony Gill (University of Washington, political science), the host of Research on Religion (Facebook page and Twitter), becomes the guest as Prof. Steven Pfaff (University of Washington, sociology) takes the reins of inquisitor and peppers Tony with questions about his book The Political Origins of Religious Liberty. We begin our conversation with a definition of religious liberty. Tony points out that it is important to think about religious liberty in terms of costs and benefits. Any government policy that imposes a greater cost on an individual or group’s ability to worship needs to be viewed as a decrease in freedom, whereas anything reducing such costs enhances liberty. We then talk about previous theories of why religious liberty has arisen in the modern world, noting that most scholars rely upon ideational reasons for its appearance — namely that policymakers were convinced by philosophers that religious freedom was a good idea in-and-of-itself. But Tony notes that even through religious liberty might be a good idea per se, it is not an idea that is always shared by everyone in the policymaking arena. Numerous policy ideas exist at any given moment and it is important to consider the political and economic interests of rule-makers when accounting for the appearance of tolerance and freedom in places like The Netherlands, Great Britain, and the United States. Secular leaders are most interested in their political survival, generating tax revenue, and growing the economy. These interests will be taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to allow greater religious freedoms. We also note that religious leaders are not neutral in this process. the clergy of dominant religions will generally favor restrictions on religious minorities, whereas religious minorities will advocate for greater religious freedoms. The gradual development of religious pluralism changes the political landscape in a way that favors the emergence of tolerance and liberty in the long-run (though there is likely to be conflict in the short-run). Our discussion relies upon examples from colonial British America, but Steve Pfaff adds to the conversation other illustrations from Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, and even Spain. We close with Steve challenging Tony on some different configurations of religious liberty and whether or not a government that seeks to be “neutral” is privileging secularism over all other confessions. Tony chimes in on this topic as well. Recorded: December 18, 2012.

Steve Pfaff’s bio at the University of Washington’s Department of Sociology.

The Political Origins of Religious Liberty, by Anthony Gill.

Rendering unto Caesar: The Catholic Church and the State in Latin America, by Anthony Gill.

Exit-voice Dynamics & the Collapse of East Germany, by Steven Pfaff.

The Spiritual Virtuoso: Personal Faith and Social Transformation, by Marion Goldman and Steven Pfaff.

RELATED PODCASTS

An extensive list of our podcasts on religious liberty.

Anthony Gill on Religion (an EconTalk podcast).

Steven Pfaff on the World of 1517 (Protestant Reformation Series).

Steven Pfaff on Denominationalism, Sin, and Other Stuff.

Larry Iannaccone on Sacrifice, Stigma, and the Economics of Religion.

Chris Soper on the Challenge of Religious Pluralism

tonygill — Sun, 09 Apr 2017 08:00:20 +0000

How do various democratic nations manage increasing religious pluralism around the world? Prof. Christopher Soper, a distinguished political scientist at Pepperdine University, answers this question and talks about the third edition of his book The Challenge of Pluralism, co-authored with Kevin den Dulk and the late Stephen Monsma. After Chris provides a few reflections on the scholarly influence of Prof. Monsma, we discuss how a third edition of this popular text suggested itself with a changing religious environment in many Western democracies, most notably the increase in Muslim populations in Europe. Prof. Soper notes that the impetus for the book back in 1997 was to answer three questions that remain more relevant than ever: 1) How much religiously-motived behavior that is contrary to societal welfare and norms can a democratic polity allow?; 2) To what extent should the state promote consensual religious beliefs in order to promote a shared set of values and virtues that are fundamental to limited democratic governance?; and 3) When religious groups and government agencies are active in the same fields of work, how can a society ensure that the state does not advantage one religious group (or secular belief system) over another? Chris then reviews the three models of church-state relations that he and his co-authors detail in the book: 1) the separationist model as exemplified by the United States and France; 2) the establishment model that includes England and Germany; and 3) the pluralist model in both its “pragmatic” (Australia) and “principled” variants (the Netherlands). He explains the dimensions of each model, noting that there is variation within each category. For example, while both the US and France are considered separationist, the historical trajectories of each country conditioned a more aggressive separationist position in France. For much of the second half of the interview, we walk through examples of these models with Chris giving background on each of the cases. Prof. Soper argues the case that the pluralist model is best at recognizing the importance of religion in the public square while still allowing space for secular claims. Our discussion also centers around how each of the states are meeting and accommodating increased religious pluralism, most notably with respect to the growing presence of Islam. With Islam being a much more decentralized faith tradition than the typical European Christian denominations, it has been difficult to absorb this religion into historical church-state models, particularly those of the establishment variant, but efforts have been made to do this. We finish our podcast with Chris giving his opinion about the viability of a Christian Democratic party in the United States (revisiting a question from an earlier podcast), and reflecting on what he has learned over two decades and three editions of his book. Recorded: March 28,2017.

The Challenge of Pluralism: Church and State in Six Democracies, by J. Christopher Soper, Kevin den Dulk, and Stephen Monsma.

Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany, by Joel Fetzer and J. Christopher Soper.

Confucianism, Democracy, and Human Rights in Taiwan, by Joel Fetzer and J. Christopher Soper.

RELATED PODCASTS

Joel Fetzer on Confucianism and Democracy.

Ahmet Kuru on Islam in Europe.

Claire Adida on Discrimination towards Muslims in France.

Evan Haefeli on the Dutch Origins of Religious Tolerance.

Russ Roberts & Anthony Gill on Religion and Religious Liberty.

Ani Sarkissian on Religion and Religious Civil Society in Turkey.

Does American Need a Christian Democratic Party?

Marion Larson on Bubbles, Bridges, and Multifaith Engagement

tonygill — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 09:00:14 +0000

Are Christian students and faculty on private religious colleges contained in a bubble? If so, what can they do to engage an increasingly pluralistic religious society? Prof. Marion Larson, professor and chair of the English Department at Bethel University, answers these questions and presents a number of different strategies for engaging people of different faiths based upon her new book From Bubble to Bridge, co-authored with her Bethel colleague, Prof. Sara Shady. We begin the conversation by exploring where the idea for this book came from. Dr. Larson talks about her interest in viewing teaching through the lens of “hospitality,” a concept that becomes central to also engaging people of different faith traditions. We then discuss the concept of a “bubble,” and why many Christian students attending private religious colleges could often be seen as existing within such an enclosed environment. Marion does not consider a bubble to be entirely bad, and we discuss how religious leaders and parents are often afraid of seeing their children lose their religious traditions in a multicultural world. Bubbles can be protective, but they also can be limiting, and Prof. Larson seeks methods of trying to negotiate these competing tendencies. Our discussion also brings up the issue of whether religious faith should be kept out of the public square as a means of ameliorating conflict, but Prof. Larson disagrees with this type of assessment, noting that one’s faith is to be lived publicly. We discuss various notions of engaging people of different faiths, including tolerance, inclusion, dwelling, and “sending.” Much of this is premised on Profs. Larson and Shady’s concept of “hospitality,” which in turn is greatly informed by Miroslav Wolf’s notion of “embracing arms.” Prof. Larson discusses the importance of three virtues in interfaith engagement: receptive humility; reflective commitment; and imaginative empathy. Throughout the conversation, Marion discusses case studies of actual individuals who have lived out an interfaith engagement as a means of illustrating a number of the theoretical points she is making. She also talks about Sara and her work with Interfaith Youth Corps, a Chicago-based organization founded by Eboo Patel. We also explore the tension between inclusivity and the desire to hang out with our own tight-knit homogenous groups, and whether or not there is Christian privilege at work in US society. Marion finishes with some reflections about what she and Prof. Shady learned throughout the process of conceptualizing, researching, and writing this book. Recorded: February 10, 2017.

Prof. Sara Shady’s bio at Bethel University.

From Bubble to Bridge: Educating Christians for a Multifaith World, by Marion Larson and Sara Shady.

Interfaith Youth Corps.

RELATED PODCASTS

Hunter Baker on the Future of Higher Education.

Joseph Castleberry on Religious-Based Higher Education.

Chris Gehrz on the Crisis of Christian Colleges.

Darin Mather on Evangelicals and Racial Attitudes.

Kyle Roberts on Evangelical Gotham

tonygill — Sun, 29 Jan 2017 09:00:32 +0000

Gotham. The Big Apple. The City that Never Sleeps. New York City. We have many images of New York City, but how many of us as thinking of that worldly city having a vibrant evangelical community in the 19th century? Kyle Roberts, an assistant professor of history at Loyola University (Chicago), takes us on a journey back to Manhattan Island from on a journey dating to the end of the Revolutionary War and to the eve of the Civil War to show how evangelical Christianity was shaped by this growing urban metropolis and how evangelicals, in turn, shaped the city. The interview is peppered with vivid characters who illustrate the distinct phases of evangelicalism during this seven decade period. Prof. Roberts defines what he means by evangelical Christianity, a religious movement that emphasized conversion, literalism, atoning for the death of Christ, individualism, and social activism/revivalism. He further lays out the interesting tension between the individualistic impulse of evangelicalism and its episodic concern for social activism. We then start the historical journey in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War and up to the War of 1812, meeting a businessman-turned-preacher, Charles Lahatt who was tapped to give a sermon on his voyage across the Atlantic as the Anglican pastor was too drunk to do so. New York, a port city of roughly 20,000 people, was beginning a major population and many individuals from Britain journeyed by boat to this new land. That voyage shaped the evangelical Christianity of this period with a focus on “crossing” (a conversion experience) and “dwelling” (creating a new life). We discover that evangelicals create and embrace the image of a “common church,” often built into storefronts, a tendency that defines much of New York religiosity to this day (see the podcasts by Tony Carnes below). He also emphasizes the role that women played in the expansion of evangelical Christianity as they were often the champions of benevolence societies. The second major period of Kyle’s study moves us from the War of 1812 to the Panic of 1837. New York is experiencing more growth, both demographically and economically. This becomes the “golden age of evangelical benevolence” as evangelicals move deeper into social activism, seeking to change the sinning ways of new arrivals and sailors. It is also a time when religious publishing booms as many pastors and religious groups disseminate spiritual tracts as a proselytism strategy to increasingly literate citizens. This highlights the interesting comfort that evangelicals have with modernity in this period, being willing to adapt to and adopt the new technologies at the time, often pushing them to new economic heights. The Panic of 1837 and long recovery shook the economic landscape of the city and issues a new era of urban evangelical Christianity that sees the limits of reform and social activism. Evangelicals turn inward and emphasize personal sanctification, with leaders such as Phoebe Worral Palmer creating the Ladies’ Home Missionary Society. Prof. Roberts finishes off with some of his thoughts regarding what he learned over the course of his studies, including how evangelicalism, and particularly the urban environment, is more complex than he had thought initially, and how the urban environment intersects in multiple ways with spiritual faith. He also leaves us on an optimistic note for the future noting how Protestants and Catholics found ways to mend their differences over time, which he looks forward to happening with the increased religious pluralism our nation is experiencing. Recorded: December 30, 2016.

Evangelical Gotham: Religion and the Making of New York City 1783-1860, by Kyle Roberts.

Crossings and Dwellings: Restored Jesuits, Women Religious, American Experience 1814-2014, edited by Kyle Roberts and Stephen Schloesser.

Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities.

Jesuit Libraries Project.

Jesuit Libraries Provenance Project.

Tony Carnes on Jesus’s Auto Body (and Soul) Shop & Blessed Pizza.

William Reimer on Religion and Violence in Toronto.

Maureen Fitzgerald on Irish Nuns and Welfare.

John Fea on the American Bible Society.

Timothy Neary on Race, Sports, and Catholics.

Jonathan den Hartog on Patriotism and Piety.

Leigh Eric Schmidt on Village Atheists.

Frank Newport on Survey Research and American Religiosity (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 16 Oct 2016 08:00:30 +0000

Due to illness and windstorms, the staff at RoR is taking a short break. In the meantime, here is a conversation from three years ago regarding survey research, a still-timely episode given all the polling data we are hearing on a daily basis. Enjoy and know that we will be back with crescent fresh episodes soon, including some spooky stuff for Halloween.

Dr. Frank Newport, editor-in-chief of the Gallup Poll and author of the new book God Is Alive and Well, joins us to talk about how survey research is conducted and what polls have been telling us about the changing religiosity of the American people. The first half of our discussion devotes attention to the issue of polling methodology, specifically as it relates to phone surveys. While many folks see poll results reported on the evening news, few people understand the underlying procedures that produce these results. We talk about several issues that may affect the results of surveys, including non-response bias, the drop in response rates, the increased usage of cell phones and how that affects how people answer questions, strategic answering of questions in a socially-acceptable manner, and interview interaction. Dr. Newport notes that all of these issues are known to his profession and a great deal of effort is made to overcome the various problems associated with these potentially-biasing factors.

The discussion then shifts to the issue of America’s religiosity. We begin with the topic that has been capturing everybody’s attention over the past decade — the increase in “religious nones” (i.e., those people who state that they have no religious affiliation). Frank confirms that there has been a significant rise in the number of people who are not religiously affiliated based upon a standard set of questions that pollsters have been asking over time. However, what this increase means might not be obviously clear. While some scholars have jumped on these results as proof that America is becoming less religious, Dr. Newport has a different take on the matter. We xplore who the “nones” are and Frank notes that the increased prevalence of “nones” tend to be correlated with the demographics of individuals who have always tended to be less religious than in the past — e.g., younger individuals, men, singles, and people in certain parts of the nation. Tony advances a hypothesis that the trend in delayed marriages and fertility over the past twenty years has had an impact on people avoiding religious services in the earlier part of their life, which Dr. Newport confirms. Frank also notes that “nones” are not necessarily atheists or agnostic. Instead, he lays out the idea that there is more “truth in reporting” in surveys as compared with the past; people feel freer today to say they don’t attend church or are unaffiliated with a faith than in the past. This gets us into a brief discussion of achieved versus ascribed characteristics, and that religious affiliation has moved from being an ascribed characteristic to an achieved characteristic. This seems to be confirmed with the tendency that Protestants — who are more fluid in their religious affiliations — are the ones who are most likely to become “nones.”

The interview continues along other paths including an exploration to the rise of non-denominational churches and religious pluralism. We also examine the issue of church growth and Dr. Newport gives his ideas about how and why some churches grow and others do not. Fertility is quite obviously associated with church growth and there are certain denominations, namely the mainline Protestants, that have fewer children. Immigration is also discussed. The other factor that Frank raises is that of “religious marketing.” Churches that focus on marketing their faith so as to bring people into the pews do better at attracting members, not surprisingly. (Tony notes that comfortable chairs and coffee are an important part of that marketing campaign.) We finish the interview with Frank’s thoughts on how the clergy can use modern survey research to better serve their missions. Recorded: August 1, 2013.

Gallup’s Polling Matters.

God Is Alive and Well: The Future of Religion in America, by Frank Newport.

Polling Matters: Why Leaders Must Listen to the Wisdom of the People, by Frank Newport.

Summary of report on marriage survey as mentioned in podcast.

American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR).

RELATED PODCASTS

Joseph O. Baker on American Secularism.

Hunter Baker on Secularism.

Rodney Stark on How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists.

Paul Froese on America’s Four Gods.

Jeremy Lott on Mormons, Pope Francis, and Ugly Churches.

Thom S. Rainer on Baptist Conventions and Church Health.

Tony Carnes on Jesus’s Auto Body (and Soul) Shop, Blessed Pizza, and NYC Religions Part II.

Tony Carnes on a Journey Through NYC Religions.

Bill Clark on an Academic’s Spiritual Journey.

Maureen Fitzgerald on Irish Nuns and Welfare

tonygill — Sun, 21 Aug 2016 08:00:05 +0000

The middle of the 19th century was a time of immense demographic, economic, and social change in the United States. Foremost among these changes was a wave of immigration that remade the economic and political landscape of the country. We invite Dr. Maureen Fitzgerald, an associate professor of history at the College of William & Mary, to discuss the little known history of how Irish Catholic nuns helped shepherd immigrants into this new and changing environment, and how those nuns, in turn, set the groundwork for later social welfare policies in New York City and beyond. Prof. Fitzgerald explains the origin of her research, beginning with interest in the upper-class Protestant reformer Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and then realizing how the names of a number of Irish nuns kept surfacing in her investigation of this period. Historically speaking, these Catholic women religious did not leave as big of a paper trail of evidence of their activities as Protestant reformers, but a detailed case study of New York City by Prof. Fitzgerald did yield a wealth of other information that became the book Habits of Compassion: Irish-Catholic Nuns and the Origins of New York’s Welfare System 1830-1920. That period of time, roughly a century, was one of major socio-economic and demographic changes in the United States, not the least of which was the massive Irish immigration in the 1840s during the period of the Great Famine. Maureen discusses the nature of that immigration (often led by single women) and how U.S. convents and other organizations established by Catholic nuns were pivotal in offering assistance to new immigrants and keeping many of them out of prostitution. We also discuss the role these women religious played in countering efforts of Protestant reformers to remove Catholic children from impoverished or single-mother homes and relocate them in Protestant households (something known as the “child-saving movement”). We discuss how these early efforts were funded (largely via private donations or school tuitions) and how this shifted following the Civil War when a majority of New York City residents were immigrants or second-generation ethnic voters. The rise of “machine politics” (Tammany Hall) allowed public funds to be directed towards Catholic charities, bolstering their position within the city and allowing them to expand. We discuss the indirect influence that the Irish nuns had on the foundation for later welfare policies such as the Destitute Mother’s Bill. Maureen concludes her discussion with some reflection on the craft of studying the history of individuals and groups who don’t leave a written record. Recorded: August 8, 2016.

Note: In the introduction, Tony incorrectly notes Maureen as the author of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Woman’s Bible. Prof. Fitzgerald was the author of an introduction to that book. This was Tony’s error and was corrected during the conversation.

Habits of Compassion: Irish Catholic Nuns and the Origins of New York’s Welfare System, by Maureen Fitzgerald.

Erin’s Daughters in America, by Hasia Diner (mentioned in podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

David Mislin on Embracing Religious Pluralism.

John Wilsey on American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion.

Barry Hankins on Jesus, Gin, and the Culture Wars.

John Fea on the American Bible Society.

Nathanael Snow on the Evangelical Coalition and Public Choice.

Jay Hein on the Quiet Revolution of Social Work.

Claire Adida on Discrimination Towards Muslims in France

tonygill — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 09:00:18 +0000

France has one of the largest Muslim populations in Europe and issues of how this population has integrated into French national life has been a major topic in political debate. Prof. Claire Adida, an assistant professor of political science at the University of California – San Diego, discusses a large research project she conducted with David Laitin (Stanford) and Marie-Anne Valfort (Paris School of Economics). This project, published recently in the book Why Muslim Integration Fails in Christian-Heritage Societies (see below), examines the extent of labor force discrimination towards Muslims on religious (as opposed to racial or ethnic) grounds, and why such discrimination tends to be self-reinforcing.

Claire first talks about her general research agenda that looks at conflict and cooperation among different ethnic groups in Africa and how she came to be included in a research team examining Muslims in France. Prof. Adida provides us with a general overview of her study noting how the research team sought to sort out religious discrimination from other potential points of conflict, such as race or ethnicity. The presence of a Senegalese population that had both Muslim and Christian members, and which entered the country in roughly the same era, provided a unique opportunity to undertake a series of comparative experiments to gain explanatory leverage on this topic. Claire further lays out the religious demography of France noting how immigration from North Africa in the post-WWII era started to reshape the religious and ethnic landscape.

We spend significant portions of our conversation detailing the research methodology. While this may appear to be a mundane detail, how social scientists explore their topics can have an impact on what they find, thus the conversation is both worthwhile and enlightening. To determine whether labor force discrimination existed in France on a religious dimension, Prof. Adida and her collaborators sent vitas (résumés) to employers that were identical in all respects except for “religious markers,” which included Muslim or Christian sounding names and notations about volunteering for specific religious (or secular) organizations. Later, we also talk about a series of behavioral economics games (e.g., trust game, dictator game) that the team played with test subjects to discern different types of discrimination. All of this made use of the Senegalese population as a “natural” means of introducing controls into study (and we cover various limitations and methodological solutions in the research design).

Prof. Adida points out several important findings from this study at various points in our discussion. First, the research team was able to determine that labor-force (hiring) discrimination did exist in France and that it was significant on the dimension of religion. Muslim Senegalese women were much less likely to get interview calls than either a Christian Senegalese woman or one with a secular portfolio. Second, they explore the presence of two types of discrimination — “rational” and “non-rational” Islamophobia. Contrary to what the name may sound like, “rational Islamophobia” does not seek to morally validate discrimination, but rather is defined as discrimination based upon some collected information on the part of an individual. For instance, learning that Muslims may need to pray several times a day, an employer may not want to hire such an individual because they believe it would interrupt the work environment. It may also be that more conservative attitudes towards women that are held by Muslim may interfere with the goals of greater gender equity in the workplace. “Non-rational” Islamophobia, on the other hand, refers to emotional preferences (or “tastes”) that do not necessarily have a basis in information gathering. The research team discovers both types of discrimination are at play in France. We further explore the reasons for such discrimination and Prof. Adida introduces the concept of a “discriminatory equilibrium.” Given France’s history of secularism (laicite), native French will find it difficult to relate to immigrants who are more religious, have more socially conservative views, and who engage in religious practices that are publicly visible (e.g., wearing the hijab). Moreover, innate “non-rational Islamophobia” also pushes non-Muslim French citizens from wanting to interact with immigrants. This, in turn, provides little incentive for Muslims to seek ways to assimilate (or integrate) into secular French society, which results in this “equilibrium.” Claire discusses a few policy proposals that she and her co-authors have devised, along with what she learned throughout the process of the study. Recorded: December 21, 2015.

Why Muslim Integration Fails in Christian-Heritage Societies, by Claire Adida, David Laitin, and Marie-Anne Valfort.

Immigrant Exclusion and Insecurity in Africa, by Claire Adida.

Nations, States, and Violence, by David Laitin (co-author and research with Claire Adida).

Identity in Formation, by David Laitin.

Hegemony and Culture, by David Laitin.

RELATED PODCASTS

Ahmet Kuru on Islam in Europe.

Joseph Castleberry on the New Pilgrims

tonygill — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 08:00:57 +0000

What role are immigrants to the United States playing in America’s religious landscape? Dr. Joseph Castleberry, president of Northwest University (Kirkland, WA), examines this question and discusses his recently-published book The New Pilgrims. While many pundits and commentators have focused on the role of immigration in labor markets, Dr. Castleberry adds to the conversation by showing how newcomers to our country have helped to revitalize our spiritual lives, both historically and in the present.

Tony first asks Joseph how he was able to research and write a book whilst also serving as the president of a growing university. Dr. Castleberry replies that because he has such a great staff and doesn’t have any direct teaching duties, he was able to pick up on a topic that has interested him for a long time. His experience as a missionary abroad informs many of his views on this topic and he brings fresh insights to the table. We then turn briefly to the contemporary religious landscape in America and Tony asks Joseph about his thoughts on the increase of “religious nones.” This facet of the conversation (and Castleberry’s book) is important to understand how people from around the world bring their own faiths with them and reshape and revitalize America’s spiritual life, both in terms of religion as we normally think of it, but also in terms of America’s “civic religion.” Joseph explains his thoughts here and notes that immigrants have always played an important role in various “great awakenings” in U.S. history.

We move next to a discussion of the dimensions of contemporary immigration, exploring both the demographics of the people who are coming, and their reasons for wanting to make the United States their home. Dr. Castleberry then provides a number of examples of how these “new pilgrims” are reshaping our cultural landscape with stories of students from his own university (Northwest) and places where immigrant churches are being planted or working in conjunction with existing denominations to “re-missionize” America. We finish with some of Dr. Castleberry’s thoughts on the current political conflict surrounding immigration issues and how this affects notions of Lex Rex (or the rule of law). He adds his thoughts on how Christians should be responding to all of this. Recorded: September 14, 2015.

The New Pilgrims: How Immigrants Are Renewing America’s Faith and Values, by Joseph Castleberry.

Joseph Castleberry’s blog in English and Spanish.

Joseph Castleberry on Twitter.

The Kingdom Net: Learning to Network Like Jesus, by Joseph Castleberry.

Your Deepest Dream, by Joseph Castleberry.

RELATED PODCASTS

Joseph Castleberry on Religious-Based Higher Education.

Rajdeep Singh on American Sikhs and Religious Liberty.

Bradley Wright on Religion, Race, and Discrimination.

Rajdeep Singh on American Sikhs and Religious Liberty

tonygill — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 08:00:03 +0000

Sikh-Americans have been on the forefront of some very important religious liberty cases in recent years. Rajdeep Singh, Director of Law and Policy at the Sikh Coalition, explains what the Sikh religion is, who are the Sikh-Americans, and how they have helped to shape and define our notions of religious liberty. This is a valuable discussion of a faith tradition that not many Americans are familiar with.

Our conversation begins with Mr. Singh providing a historical background to Sikhism. This history takes us back over 500 years to the Punjab region of what is now northern India. The religion developed over the course of two centuries and nine critical leaders known as “gurus.” Rajdeep carefully explains the various terms associated with his faith along the way, providing a clear understanding of terminology for those unfamiliar with the faith (such at your podcast host). He also notes that the history of Sikhism, a monotheistic religion that views all humans as equal, is replete with the promotion of religious tolerance and freedom. Gurus in the 6th through 9th centuries advocated not only for their adherents’ liberties, but for the freedoms of Hindus and others as well. Sikhs were also instrumental in India’s struggle for independence from Britain and often took the brunt of British retaliation. This history helps situate our modern understanding of Sikhs being strong proponents of religious freedom in America (and elsewhere). We also discuss the migration and demographics of Sikhs in the United States over the past half century or so.

We next cover the various rituals and articles of faith that are important to the Sikh faith. Rajdeep tells the story of Guru Gobind Singh who, in the late 17th century, inaugurated many of the customs we come to associate with Sikhs today. He defines and explains the importance of the “five k’s” of the faith: kesh (uncut hair), kanga (wooden comb), kara (steel bracelet), kachera (cotton underwear), and kirpan (holy sword). We also discuss the highly visible and demarcating turban (dastaar), which often leads non-Sikh Americans to confuse Sikhs with Muslims. These articles of faith are not only important for our understanding of Sikh spirituality, but they also play an important role in a number of religious liberty cases that we discuss later.

We then move on to discuss the experience of Sikhs in the United States, with Rajdeep noting that Sikhs have faced difficulties with hate crimes, bullying in schools, and discrimination in the workplace. This leads us to discuss an important piece of legislation that Mr. Singh was instrumental in fostering in the state of Oregon. He details the history of the case, which dates back to 19th century efforts to ban religious garb in public schools as part of an effort to deny Catholic instructors access educational positions. In the 198s, a court case involving a convert to Sikhism wearing the traditional turban while employed as a public school teacher — Cooper v Eugene School District — upheld this ban. However, the Sikh Coalition was able to convince the Oregon state legislature to repeal the older law in 2010. This opens a discussion of the difficult line that regulators have to walk when dealing with issues such as workplace safety and allowing religious freedom for various articles of clothing and practices. We discuss cases of hard hats on construction sites and the need to have tightly fitting gas masks in some work environments, both of which have created challenges for Sikh employment in the past. Rajdeep explains how technology has made some of these issues moot (e.g., better designed masks) and how other reasonable accommodations can be made. This discussion is not only relevant for Sikhs, but for people of other faiths as well. We conclude with some of Mr. Singh’s thoughts about the future of Sikhs in America. Like many of our guests, Rajdeep has a great sense of optimism about the future based upon the tenets of his faith, but he is also cautious and concerned about the future of religious liberty. Recorded: April 8, 2015.

Religious Freedom in America: Constitutional Roots and Contemporary Challenges, edited by Allen Hertzke (where Rajdeep has a chapter).

Cooper v Eugene School District (the 1986 court case involving a Sikh in Oregon).

Oregon House Bill 3686 (the 2010 law reversing religious clothing restrictions in Oregon).

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