Transnational religion and everyday lives

Abstract

In a study of irregular migration from Mexico and Central America to the United States, Hagan (2008: 7) argues that ‘religion permeates the entirety of the migrant experience’. Migrants draw upon their faith for guidance before embarking upon migration, as well as turning to religious objects, practices and institutions for material, emotional and spiritual support during frequently dangerous journeys (Hagan 2008). Once they have reached their destination, migrants engage with local religious sites and practices that enable them to feel a sense of belonging in an unfamiliar, often hostile environment (Hagan 2008, see also Sheringham 2013). Religion is also trans-temporal, connecting migrants’ memories and traditions with ideas of the future, including potential returns to the homeland (Vasquez 2016). However, while there has been increasingly widespread recognition of the significance of religion within migrant experience, few studies have examined the connections between home, migration and spirituality in the city (Wilkins 2016; Blunt and Sheringham 2015). This chapter explores everyday urban and transnational spiritualities, with a particular focus on religious and spiritual practices, objects and spaces among Brazilian and Vietnamese migrants in London.