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'Doing Religion' Overseas: The Characteristics and Functions of Ghanaian Immigrant Churches in Toronto, Canada

'Doing Religion' Overseas: The Characteristics and Functions of Ghanaian Immigrant Churches in... © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2009 DOI: 10.1163/187219108X300037 Societies Without Borders 4 (2009) 21–44 www.brill.nl/swb S W B ‘Doing Religion’ Overseas: Th e Characteristics and Functions of Ghanaian Immigrant Churches in Toronto, Canada Joseph Mensah Department of Geography York University, Toronto, Canada Received 6 July 2007; accepted 20 September 2007 Abstract While the importance of immigrants’ transnational economic activities is readily acknowl- edged, the cultural factors that facilitate their initiation and sustenance of memberships in multiple locations have been overlooked. It is this lacuna that the present study addresses, using Ghanaian immigrant churches in Toronto as a case study. Th e paper examines how Ghanaian immigrant churches were founded; how they are organized; and the kinds of social services they provide. While the churches facilitate the settlement of Ghanaian immi- grants, through the provision of social services, they seem to, inadvertently, undermine their eventual integration into the broader Canadian society. Keywords Ghanaians, immigrants, religion, Toronto Introduction Contrary to the long-standing secularization thesis, 1 which posits that reli- gion will fade with the triumph of modern science, the influence of reli- gion has expanded across the globe, due, in part, to such secular global processes as multinational capital flows http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Societies Without Borders Brill

'Doing Religion' Overseas: The Characteristics and Functions of Ghanaian Immigrant Churches in Toronto, Canada

Mensah, Joseph
Societies Without Borders , Volume 4 (1): 21 – Jan 1, 2009
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References (22)

Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 2009 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1871-8868
eISSN
1872-1915
DOI
10.1163/187219108X300037
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2009 DOI: 10.1163/187219108X300037 Societies Without Borders 4 (2009) 21–44 www.brill.nl/swb S W B ‘Doing Religion’ Overseas: Th e Characteristics and Functions of Ghanaian Immigrant Churches in Toronto, Canada Joseph Mensah Department of Geography York University, Toronto, Canada Received 6 July 2007; accepted 20 September 2007 Abstract While the importance of immigrants’ transnational economic activities is readily acknowl- edged, the cultural factors that facilitate their initiation and sustenance of memberships in multiple locations have been overlooked. It is this lacuna that the present study addresses, using Ghanaian immigrant churches in Toronto as a case study. Th e paper examines how Ghanaian immigrant churches were founded; how they are organized; and the kinds of social services they provide. While the churches facilitate the settlement of Ghanaian immi- grants, through the provision of social services, they seem to, inadvertently, undermine their eventual integration into the broader Canadian society. Keywords Ghanaians, immigrants, religion, Toronto Introduction Contrary to the long-standing secularization thesis, 1 which posits that reli- gion will fade with the triumph of modern science, the influence of reli- gion has expanded across the globe, due, in part, to such secular global processes as multinational capital flows

Journal

Societies Without Borders – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 2009

Keywords: IMMIGRANTS; TORONTO; GHANAIANS; RELIGION

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