‘Middle-class’ Africans in Australia: choosing Hillsong as a global home
Much of the literature on Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity (Pc/C) and African diasporas in the Global North has focused upon African-Majority or -Initiated churches that are either branches of African churches or were created in the diaspora. This focus often frames the appeal of Pc/C to African...
| Published in: | Culture and religion |
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| Authors: | ; ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Taylor and Francis Group
2021
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| In: |
Culture and religion
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Australia (Südost)
/ African immigrant
/ Middle class
/ Preference
/ Hillsong Church
/ Social mobility
/ Social class
/ Geschichte 2020
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| RelBib Classification: | CH Christianity and Society KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history KBN Sub-Saharan Africa KBS Australia; Oceania KDG Free church |
| Further subjects: | B
Hillsong
B African-Australians B middle-class aspirationalism B African diasporas B Racism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Much of the literature on Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity (Pc/C) and African diasporas in the Global North has focused upon African-Majority or -Initiated churches that are either branches of African churches or were created in the diaspora. This focus often frames the appeal of Pc/C to African migrants in terms of: a) its emphasis upon the ‘Prosperity Gospel’ offering a path not only to salvation, but also to earthly riches; b) its opportunities for achieving status among church hierarchies, which is attractive to socially marginalised groups, and; c) the practical assistance it provides to support settlement. However, African diasporas have diverse histories of migration, and settlement experiences. This article considers the appeal of Pc/C to a group of professional African migrants in Australia, who self-identify as ‘middle-class’. It argues that professional African migrants have consciously favoured the Australian megachurch Hillsong over Australia’s African-Initiated churches. They have done so in pursuit of a process of an imagined class-mobility, and as a result, their choice of church can be understood as largely strategic. |
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| ISSN: | 1475-5629 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Culture and religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/14755610.2022.2156566 |