`Neither Here nor There': The Construction of Identities and Boundary Maintenance of West African Pentecostals

In: Sociology: the journal of the British Sociological Association, Volume 36, Issue 1, p. 147-169

Abstract

The often taken-for-granted `decline of religion' thesis has frequently led to the failure to recognize the significance of religion in both forging and articulating aspects of identity in the contemporary western context. In addressing such an issue this article seeks to explore the importance of religion in aiding the construction of the identities of West African migrants to Britain through a distinct and innovatory mode of Pentecostalism. While this vibrant form of Christianity has long been understood as a faith relevant to the needs of black ethnic minorities, its changing theodicies and value-orientation have helped the formation of identity and provide meaning to the experiences of a new generation of migrants.