عنوان

Religious identity and cultural negotiation :

Number

TLets762284

Title Proper

Religious identity and cultural negotiation :

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

First Statement of Responsibility

McGill, Jenny

Subsequent Statement of Responsibility

Sedmak, ClemensMcGill, JennySedmak, Clemens

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

King's College London (University of London)

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2015

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

Thesis (Ph.D.)

Text preceding or following the note

2015

Text of Note

Given increasing global migration and the importance of positive cross-cultural relations across national borders, this dissertation offers an interdisciplinary exploration of identity formation in migration that employs theological, psychological, and sociological lenses. To this end, I consider the views of three interlocutors-Drs. Miroslav Volf, Jenny Hyun Chung Pak, and Stanley Hauerwas-to form the theoretical basis for an initial theology of Christian identity (Chapter 6). Additionally, my contemporary social research data examines the social construction of religious, ethnic, and national identities among foreign-born evangelical migrants who entered the United States to pursue advanced academic studies and graduated in the years from 1983 to 2013. From an interviewed sample of eighteen graduates and a surveyed sample of 405 graduates, I investigate how these participants understood their identities in their migration experiences. My primary research question is: How does one's personal religious faith relate to one's identity construction in international migration? The data from these samples confirm previous claims that identities are both fixed and fluid and suggest that, when compared to other personal identities, faith is primary in identity construction. I present my findings on the relationship between religion and the construction of personal identity, the relationship between religion and personal migration patterns, the negotiation of multiple identities among an educated migrant population, and the relationship between migration and individual identity (Chapter 8). I combine this theoretical and social research to offer an initial theology of Christian identity in migration, the primary conclusion of which is that migration is integral to the formation of Christian identity (Chapter 9). Finally, in conclusion, I submit the implications of my conclusions for community organisations and educational institutions.

King's College London

Sedmak, Clemens

King's College London (University of London)

Electronic name

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y