Social Relationships for Youth and Adolescents within the Korean American Immigrant Church

Abstract

Some ethnic immigrants socialize around their religious communities. The Korean immigrant church in particular is known to function as a social center where Korean immigrants can perpetuate their cultural and spiritual practices in the U.S. However, few studies have directly focused on the social relationships of younger generations sharing the same space in the church with their parent generations. The main research question is this: How do 1.5-and second-generation Korean-American youths perceive their experience with social relationships in their foreign-born parents’ religious community? The author, through qualitative research methods, examines the experiences shared by American-born or American-raised Korean youths involved in their parents’ religious community. This study will provide a space for discussions about the function of the Korean immigrant church in fostering youths’ socio-cultural development and suggest ways to promote better intergenerational relationships through their time spent together at the immigrant church.