Filipino American Faith in Action: Immigration, Religion, and Civic Engagement

Filipinos are now the second largest Asian American immigrant group in the United States, with a population larger than Japanese Americans and Korean Americans combined. Surprisingly, there is little published on Filipino Americans and their religion, or the ways in which their religious traditions may influence the broader culture in which they are becoming established.
Filipino American Faith in Action draws on interviews, survey data, and participant observation to shed light on this large immigrant community. It explores Filipino American religious institutions as essential locations for empowerment and civic engagement, illuminating how Filipino spiritual experiences can offer a lens for viewing this migrant community's social, political, economic, and cultural integration into American life. Gonzalez examines Filipino American church involvement and religious practices in the San Francisco Bay Area and in the Phillipines, showing how Filipino Americans maintain community and ethnic and religious networks, contra assimilation theory, and how they go about sharing their traditions with the larger society.

Author: Joaquin Jay Gonzalez
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: 02/01/2009
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.80h x 5.90w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780814731970

Review Citation(s):
Choice 11/01/2009

About the Author
Gonzalez, Joaquin Jay: - Joaquin Jay Gonzalez is Associate Professor of Politics and Director of the Yuchengco Philippine Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, he was appointed San Francisco Commissioner for Immigrant Rights and Mayor George Christopher Chair in Public Administration at Golden Gate University. He is the author or co-author of several books, including On the Corner of Bliss and Nirvana; Welcome to the Philippines; and Governance Innovations in the Asia-Pacific Region.