Ethno-Religious Identity of the Second-Generation Young Migrants: The Problem of Measurement and Transformation in Modern Metropolitan Areas (on the Example of the City of Montreal)

Abstract

The paper analyzes the methodological approach used by Vsevolod Isajiw to measure ethnic and religious identity of migrants, reveals the mechanisms of formation and reconstruction of ethnic and religious identity of young secondgeneration Christian and Islamic Arab migrants in the city of Montreal build upon the study of Paul Eide. The Isaiw’s concept of ethnic identity includes subjective commitment to an ethnic group and its culture and objective processes of socialization, through which an individual becomes attached to ethnic culture and joins primary ethnic groups and ethnic structures. The scale of measurement of ethnic identity developed by the researcher reflects the conceptual differences between the subjective and objective aspects of ethnic identity and its social and cultural contexts, forming a four-by-four matrix: objective/cultural, objective/social, subjective/cultural and subjective/social components. Based on the results of the survey and in-depth interviews, the author investigates the mechanisms of the intersection of ethnic and religious identities of Arab-Canadian youth and the process of ethno-religious identity reconstruction. The conclusion is that ethnic and religious consciousness is not necessarily associated with certain levels of integration into ethnic and religious groups and networks. Ethnic identity turned out to be more stable due to socialization and cultural integration. The main methodological approaches, methods and results of foreign researchers presented in the article can be used by domestic sociologists in studying the problems of ethnic and religious identity of migrants living in Russia.