God in Chinatown : Religion and Survival in New York's Evolving Immigrant Community

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.The excellent vignettes throughout the book further show, in striking detail, how immigrants from Fuzhou use the language and ideas of their faith traditions to make sense of their journeys and their daily lives in the United States. This book is a welcome addition to recent research about religion and the post-1965 immigrants.--Contemporary SociologyGod in Chinatown is useful for historians as well as those interested in the sociology of religion, the Chinese Diaspora, or New York City.--Religious Studies ReviewGod in Chinatown is an important study for historians and social scientists. Guest has...expanded the horizons of students of ethnic history. --Journal of American Ethnic HistoryIn this volume Guest has succeeded in showing the importance of religion to the self-definition of immigrants from Fuzhou in their new home in New York''s Chinatown and other cities across the United States. As a student of theology, he understands the importance of religion to human survival and flourishing in the face of tremendous obstacles, especially for the immigrants of Fuzhou in urban America.--China Review internationalThere is no question that this book makes an important contribution to the emerging field of religion and immigration as well as to research on contemporary Asian religions. The information and perspective Guest provides not only substantially enhance our knowledge of these topics but help us view them in a new light.--The Journal of ReligionGuest does an excellent job of helping the reader understand the place of these religious institutions both within Chinatown and the religious landscape in China. The book is so stimulating that it leads the reader to formulate more questions.--Sociology of ReligionStudents and scholars in the fields of church history, religion in the US, the history of religions, comparative religions, and Asian studies will find that this intriguing book suggests a variety of directions for further exploration. -- ChoiceA well-researched, well-written, and timely ethnographic study of the importance of religious groups in the lives of Fuzhounese immigrants to the United States. It should be of great interest to scholars of contemporary Chinese religion, and to sociologists and anthropologists interested in religion and transnationalism. A readable and affordable monograph.--Journal of Chinese ReligionsGod in Chinatown is a pioneering ethnographic study....A must read for those interested in ethnic communities, immigration, and religion. It is a welcome addition to the growing number of studies that are recognizing the important connections between religion and immigration in the incorporation of immigrants and the reconstructions of what is America itself. --Journal of the American Academy of ReligionAs a first ethnographic study to systematically examine the role of religious organizations and immigrant adaptations among the Fuzhounese, the book is a welcome edition to the existing literature of the sociology of religion. Guest devotes much of the book to describing the religious life that the Fuzhounese left behind in Fujian and the new one that they have rebuilt in New York. he shows clearly and unequivocally that ethnic religious institutions play a central and intrumental role in assisting disadvantaged immigrants to survive adverse circumstances. He also makes a nuanced point about the interconnectedness between ethnic religious institutions and ethnic economies in Chinatown and between Chinatown and its transnational networks.--Journal for the Scientific Study of ReligionThe exceptionally rich ethnography is very interesting to read.--American Journal of SociologyIn this volume Guest has succeeded in showing the importance of religion in the self-definition of Fuzhounese immigrants in their new home in New York Chinatown and in the network of cities across the United States. -- China News Update This book fascinates by making what is familiar

Kenneth J. Guest is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Baruch College, CUNY, and Senior Research Consultant at the International Center for Migration, Ethnicity, and Citizenship.