religion and ethnicity theoretical connections宗教和种族理论联系.pdfVIP

Religions 2011, 2, 312-329; doi:10.3390/rel2030312 OPEN ACCESS religions ISSN 2077-1444 /journal/religions Review Religion and Ethnicity: Theoretical Connections Rebecca Y. Kim Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90263, USA; E-Mail: rebecca.y.kim@; Tel.: +1-310-506-7481; Fax: +1-310-506-7271 Received: 12 May 2011; in revised form: 30 June 2011 / Accepted: 22 July 2011 / Published: 26 July 2011 Abstract: The religion literature in Sociology remains largely disconnected from the ethnicity and immigration literature despite enduring connections between religion and ethnicity. This review helps to close this gap. It shows how the dominant theories in each discipline follow a similar trajectory and examines how exploring the theoretical connections between religion and ethnicity can advance our understanding of each social phenomenon. In particular, it can illuminate why America remains so religious as well as why America‟s religious congregations continue to be so divided along ethnic and racial lines. Keywords: religion; ethnicity; immigration; immigrants 1. Introduction One of the primary concerns of immigrants is establishing a transplanted version of their old religious organization in the new country [1-8]. Religion and ethnicity are deeply connected, and rebuilding their old church, synagogue, temple, or mosque helps immigrants to establish their ethnic iden