Russel Sage Foundation

Throughout American history, political involvement has been essential to immigrants’ full incorporation into public life. But in contrast to the experiences of earlier immigrants, urban political machines and labor unions no longer represent the typical route to political incorporation. What other pathways are open to newcomers? Sociologists Elaine Ecklund and Michael Emerson hypothesize that religious organizations provide immigrants with opportunities to shape their civic identity as Americans, and that civic identity is the prelude to formal political participation.

To test this theory, the investigators will examine differences in civic engagement by type of organization (religious versus non-religious), ethnicity, and place of birth. In the first phase of their study, Ecklund and Emerson plan to complete in-depth interviews with first and second generation immigrants from six ethnic groups. The second part of the project involves participant observation in ethnic organizations - both religious and non-religious – in ten cities across the country. These observations will provide the investigators with first-hand knowledge of how immigrant organizations connect their members to different kinds of civic resources. In both stages of the study, Ecklund and Emerson aim to discover whether religious participation provides unique lessons in civic adaptation, how different groups of immigrants compare in utilizing religious resources, and how immigrants differ from the native born. These findings will ultimately help the researchers refine their theory linking civic voluntarism and immigrant political incorporation. Results of the study will be reported in conference papers, journal articles, and a co-authored book.