Doctoral Dissertation: Perceptions and Practice in Social Movements

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SES-0828467Jeffrey GoodwinGrace YukichNew York UniversitySocial movement studies usually conceptualize "religion" and "movement activism" as distinct entities, but elsewhere the division between "religion" and "the secular" is being recognized as an analytic distinction that is not representative of the perceptions and lives of many religious people. Sociological studies using the "lived religion" perspective emphasize the ways in which people perceive and experience everyday activities as "religious practice." Applying these insights to the study of social movements, this project asks: Do religious people see "religion" as separate from movement activity, or do they view activism as a part of their everyday religious practice? Why do they view it in the ways they do? Do their perceptions help explain the level of their participation in a social movement? For core participants, (how) do their perceptions influence individual and movement-wide choices about strategy? These questions will be examined using ethnography and interviews with participants in the New York City Sanctuary Coalition and the Los Angeles Sanctuary Coalition, two congregation-based movement organizations working on immigration issues as part of the national New Sanctuary Movement. The researcher expects to find that religious people think about religion/activism in a variety of different ways, that these perceptions are related to their wider theological beliefs, and that ideas and principles (not just organizational ties and pragmatic considerations) influence participation in movements and activists' strategic choices. In showing the extent to which religious people perceive social movement activism as a form of lived religion, this project will demonstrate whether the strict division between religion and movement activism is appropriate or whether a new framework may be called for in movement studies. The study will also show whether perceptions about religion matter for movement recruitment and choices about strategy. Broader Impacts. This project will provide a more complete understanding of the role of religion in public life by stressing the perspectives of religious people themselves on what constitutes religion, an important task in a nation where most people consider themselves religious. It will also provide essential information from the frontlines of the fiery battle over illegal immigration, including the often unheard voices of immigrants. By providing in-depth information on a movement at the center of this issue, this study will help illuminate a timely and important political debate.