Social, Religious, and ‘Spirit-based’ Capital within Cambodian and Lao Buddhist Communities in Ontario

Abstract

While an extensive literature supports the correlation of social capital with newcomer adaptation and integration, few studies demonstrate the challenges faced by refugee communities with low levels of social and religious capital. Cambodian and Lao Buddhists in Ontario, Canada, have had significant resettlement struggles, particularly in their ability to re-create religious traditions and practices. Theravada Buddhist monks, who embody much of each community’s social and religious capital, face extensive adaptive modifications to meet the conflicting demands placed upon them. A new term, “spirit-based capital,” is introduced to present monastic interactions with the spirit world as a benefit for individual and community health and well-being. The predominant pneumacentric (spirit-centered) religiosity of first generation refugees suggests that spirit-based capital can play an important compensatory role for newcomers who lack other forms of social and religious capital.