The Incorporation of Religious Minorities in Canada and the United States

prema KurienSyracuse university这项研究旨在揭示影响动员形式的因素，无论是“民族”、“种族”还是“宗教”。它考察了不同的机会结构（国家和地方）和群体特征的差异如何影响他们如何表达不满和动员。本项目以多伦多、温哥华、纽约/新泽西和北加州的印度教和锡克教社区以及为这些群体服务的倡导组织为重点，通过访谈和分析有关这些组织的现有信息来实施。PI将完成与社区活动人士、与社区密切相关的其他成员以及学术专家的访谈。PI还将对报纸和媒体的文章、倡导组织制作的材料以及讨论北美机会结构差异和两个群体特征的材料进行分析。这项研究将有助于更好地理解为什么不同国家的散居群体可能会或可能不会支持特定类型的远距离民族主义。种族民族主义和群体间的紧张关系也可能导致东道国的暴力，这也是西方国家关注的问题。更广泛地说，这个项目将揭示形成公民行动主义和来自宗教少数背景的移民群体融合的非常不同模式的因素。该项目通过研究两个重要的宗教少数群体——印度教和锡克教背景的个人——不同动员的原因，为公民融合和社会运动理论做出了贡献。印度教徒和锡克教徒向美国和加拿大的移民模式大致相似，他们与边境另一边的同胞有着密切的联系，但在两国内部和两国之间，他们的政治活动表现出不同的特征。社会融合的主流范式强调东道国的机会结构或群体的特征来解释参与的差异。然而，这两种范式都不能令人满意地解释加拿大和美国不同宗教团体动员之间的国家间差异，以及两个团体的公众知名度和行动主义之间的国家内差异。本研究旨在揭示影响动员形式的因素。对“负面案例”（加拿大的印度教徒相对缺乏动员，美国的锡克教徒和斯里兰卡泰米尔人相对缺乏动员）的研究将有助于澄清影响公民参与和融合的不同因素之间的关系。根据对欧洲穆斯林的研究，一些学者认为，随着时间的推移，群体动员模式已经从阶级、种族/民族到宗教发生了转变。然而，这个项目表明，宗教的全球复兴并不一定意味着来自相同宗教背景的个人会围绕公共宗教身份动员起来。该研究考察了不同的政治机会结构（包括国家和地方）以及不同群体的特征如何影响他们表达不满和动员的方式。

SES-1528344Prema KurienSyracuse UniversityThis research aims to uncover the factors that influence the form that mobilization takes, whether it is "ethnic," "racial," or "religious." It examines how different opportunity structures (both national and local) and differences in the characteristics of the groups shape how they frame their grievances and mobilize. Focusing on Hindu and Sikh communities and advocacy organizations serving these groups in Toronto, Vancouver, New York/New Jersey, and northern California, this project is being conducted both through interviews and analysis of available information about the organizations. The PI will complete interviews with community activists, other members who are closely involved with the community, and with academic experts. The PI will also conduct an analysis of newspaper and media articles, materials produced by the advocacy organizations, and materials discussing differences in opportunity structures and the characteristics of the two groups in North America. This research will contribute to a better understanding of why diasporic groups in different countries might or might not support particular types of long-distance nationalism. Ethnic nationalism and inter-group tensions can also lead to violence in host countries and is of concern to Western states, as well. More broadly, this project will reveal the factors shaping the very different patterns of civic activism and integration of immigrant groups from religious minority backgrounds. This project contributes to civic incorporation and social movement theories by examining the reasons for the differential mobilization of two important religious minority groups--individuals of Hindu and Sikh background. Hindus and Sikhs have broadly similar patterns of migration to the U.S. and Canada and have close ties with their compatriots across the border, but manifest divergent political activism profiles both within and between the two countries. Dominant paradigms of social incorporation emphasize the opportunity structure of the host country or the characteristics of groups in explaining differences in involvement. However, neither paradigm can satisfactorily explain both inter-country differences between the mobilization of varying religious groups in Canada and the United States and the intra-country differences between the public visibility and activism of the two groups. This research aims to uncover the factors that influence the form that mobilization takes. The study of "negative cases" (the relative lack of mobilization of Hindus in Canada and Sikhs and Sri Lankan Tamils in the U.S.) will help to clarify the relationships between the different factors shaping civic involvement and integration. Some scholars have argued that there has been a shift in group mobilization patterns over time from class, to race/ethnicity, to religion, based on research on Muslims in Europe. This project demonstrates, however, that the global resurgence of religion does not necessarily mean that individuals from the same religious background with group-based grievances will mobilize around a public religious identity. The study examines how different political opportunity structures (both national and local) and differences in the characteristics of the groups shape how they frame their grievances and mobilize.