Doctoral Dissertation Research: Religious Identities and Citizenship Practices

SES-0902878 Christian SmithDaniel N.北卡罗来纳州的DeHanas大学，教堂山欧洲的移民第二代青年，特别是年轻的穆斯林，一直是经常关注和争议的主题，公开表达宗教信仰。 宗教如何影响第二代青年成为什么样的公民？ 更具体地说，宗教身份以何种方式为国家身份、政治表达能力和积极的公民参与的发展提供资源或限制？本论文的研究将有助于宗教和公民的社会科学的理解与第二代孟加拉国青年（主要是穆斯林）和牙买加青年（主要是基督徒）在伦敦，英国的比较研究。 这些年轻人年龄在18岁至25岁之间，有男有女，从伦敦东区和布里克斯顿有系统地挑选出来，这两个地区同样是伦敦内收入和种族集中的地区。 总共将进行120次深入的半结构化访谈，40次与孟加拉人，40次与牙买加人，40次与宗教领袖和其他当地居民。 除了这些访谈之外，还将在8个系统选定的地区清真寺和教堂进行人种学观察，这些地区吸引了大量第二代青年参加。 凭借其混合的方法和比较研究设计，本论文处于独特的地位，调查和解释穆斯林，基督教和非宗教青年发展身份和实践公民身份的各种途径。本论文将在至少三个重要方面产生更广泛的影响。 目前，欧洲对年轻的第二代穆斯林的融合给予了很大的研究关注。 论文的第一个更广泛的影响将是通过比较年轻的穆斯林经常被忽视，但数量相似，年轻的第二代基督徒人口，提供新的比较见解，以扩大研究议程。 第二，这项研究将告知政策制定者谁解决研究人群的关注，因为它有望阐明宗教在公民身份和青年人可以发展成为更充分参与公民的方式的作用。 最后，有计划的书面和提出的研究结果传播给学术和非学术观众在美国，英国和欧洲其他地方。 每个国家都有不同的移民模式和融合政策，观众将从论文中获得可应用于其特定社会背景的见解。

SES-0902878Christian SmithDaniel N. DeHanasUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel HillImmigrant second generation youth in Europe, particularly young Muslims, have been the subject of frequent concern and controversy over public expressions of religious faith. How does religion influence the kinds of citizens second generation youth are becoming? More specifically, in which ways do religious identities provide resources or constraints for the development of national identity, political articulacy, and active civic engagement?This dissertation research will contribute to a social scientific understanding of religion and citizenship with a comparative study of second generation Bangladeshi youth (largely Muslim) and Jamaican youth (largely Christian) in London, England. The youth will be aged 18 to 25, male and female, and systematically selected from the East End and Brixton, two similarly mixed-income and ethnically concentrated areas of Inner London. A total of 120 in-depth semi-structured interviews will be conducted, 40 with Bangladeshis, 40 with Jamaicans, and 40 with religious leaders and other local residents. These interviews will be complemented by ethnographic observation in eight systematically selected area mosques and churches that draw significant attendance from second generation youth. With its mixed methods and comparative research design, this dissertation is uniquely placed to investigate and explain the various pathways by which Muslim, Christian, and non-religious youth develop identities and practice citizenship. This dissertation will have broader impacts in at least three important ways. Significant research attention is now given to the integration of young second generation Muslims in Europe. A first broader impact of the dissertation will be to expand that research agenda by comparing young Muslims to the often ignored, but numerically similar, population of young second generation Christians, providing new comparative insights. Second, this study will inform policy makers who address the concerns of the study populations, as it promises to illuminate the role of religion in citizenship and ways in which young people can develop into more fully engaged citizens. Finally, there are plans for written and presented dissemination of the findings to both academic and non-academic audiences in the U.S., Britain, and elsewhere in Europe. Each nation has different immigration patterns and integration policies, and audiences will gain insights from the dissertation that can be applied to their own particular social contexts.