Religion and the "Blessing" of American Citizenship: Political and Civic Implications for Post-1965 Filipino Immigrants
This study investigates how Filipino-Americans perceive, interpret, and construct civicness, or the ways they embody immigrant, postcolonial experiences. It demonstrates how specific histories and contexts of reception, like colonialism, strongly intertwine with religion in shaping notions of Americ...
| Published in: | Implicit religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Equinox
[2016]
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| In: |
Implicit religion
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
USA
/ Naturalization
/ Philippine man
/ Political engagement
/ Social engagement
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| Further subjects: | B
Debt
B Filipino Americans B United States B civic and political engagement B Immigrants Social conditions B Immigration B Citizenship B Filipino-Americans B Postcolonialism B indebtedness B Social Conditions |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This study investigates how Filipino-Americans perceive, interpret, and construct civicness, or the ways they embody immigrant, postcolonial experiences. It demonstrates how specific histories and contexts of reception, like colonialism, strongly intertwine with religion in shaping notions of American citizenship, as the U.S. formally colonized the Philippines during the early twentieth century. Filipino- Americans, largely Catholic, feel a sense of utang ng loob, or indebtedness, for the "blessing" of American citizenship. High civic engagement ensues as Filipino-Americans seek to fulfill their "debt" and prove their worth by contributing to the development of their new nation-state. Although highly civically engaged, Filipino-Americans limit overt, domestic political participation due to utang ng loob. Paradoxically, Filipino- Americans attempt to transnationally increase their political power and civic presence in the Philippines because they feel obligated to help Filipinos "who did not receive the blessing of American citizenship." Overall, this study advances analysis towards a more complex model on immigration, integration, and the role that religion plays in this respective process. |
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| ISSN: | 1743-1697 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Implicit religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1558/imre.28243 |