Doctoral Dissertation: Perceptions and Practice in Social Movements

纽约大学社会运动研究通常将“宗教”和“运动激进主义”概念化为不同的实体，但在其他地方，“宗教”和“世俗”之间的区分被认为是一种分析性的区别，不能代表许多宗教人士的观念和生活。社会学研究采用“活的宗教”的观点，强调人们将日常活动视为“宗教实践”的方式。将这些洞察力应用到社会运动的研究中，这个项目提出了一个问题：宗教人士是否将“宗教”与运动活动分开，或者他们是否将激进主义视为他们日常宗教实践的一部分？为什么他们会这样看待问题呢？他们的认知有助于解释他们参与社会运动的程度吗？对于核心参与者来说，他们的认知如何影响个人和整个运动对战略的选择？这些问题将通过人种学和对纽约市庇护所联盟和洛杉矶庇护所联盟参与者的访谈来审查，这两个以会众为基础的运动组织作为全国新庇护所运动的一部分致力于移民问题。研究人员期望发现，信教的人以各种不同的方式思考宗教/激进主义，这些认知与他们更广泛的神学信仰有关，思想和原则(不仅是组织联系和务实考虑)影响运动的参与和积极分子的战略选择。在展示宗教人士将社会运动激进主义视为一种活的宗教形式的程度上，这个项目将展示宗教和运动激进主义之间的严格划分是否合适，或者是否需要在运动研究中建立新的框架。这项研究还将显示，对宗教的看法是否对运动、招募和战略选择重要。更广泛的影响。该项目将更全面地了解宗教在公共生活中的作用，强调宗教人士本身对什么构成宗教的看法，在一个大多数人认为自己是宗教的国家，这是一项重要的任务。它还将从针对非法移民的激烈战斗的前线提供重要信息，包括通常听不到的移民声音。通过提供关于这一问题中心运动的深入信息，这项研究将有助于阐明一场及时而重要的政治辩论。

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.