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Symbolic ethnicity and symbolic religiosity

Towards a comparison of ethnic and religious acculturation

Bibliographic Data

ID2145802
AuthorsHerbert J Gans (Columbia University, corresponding author)
Year1994
Volume17
Issue4
Pages577-592
Publication date1994-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEthnic and Racial Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0141-9870 • E-ISSN: 1466-4356
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01419870.1994.9993841
OpenAlexW2104662806
LanguageEN
Citations received173
References cited14

This article begins with a brief section updating my 1979 Ethnic and Racial Studies article 'Symbolic ethnicity: the future of ethnic groups and cultures in America'. However, its main aim is to describe and develop the somewhat parallel concept of symbolic religiosity, which I conceive as the consumption of religious symbols apart from regular participation in a religious culture or in religious organizations, for the purpose of expressing feelings of religiosity and religious identification. Since I assume that symbolic religiosity develops mainly among the acculturating descendants of immigrants, I also explore the possibility of separating and then comparing ethnic and religious acculturation. I assume further that among religio-ethnic groups like the Jews, and ethno-religious groups such as Russian, Greek and other Orthodox Catholics, ethnic and religious acculturation proceed in divergent ways. This raises a number of interesting empirical questions about the differences between and similarities of ethnicity and religion among these groups and in general. The article concludes with speculations about what might happen to ethnicity and religiosity in the future. Most of my illustrative data in this article are drawn from studies and observations about American Jewry

Acculturation · Ethnic group · Immigration · Political science · Religiosity · Religious identity · Sociology · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Jewish Identity and Society · Law · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Social Psychology

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Unique citing works173
Citations per year5,58
Citation span1995 - 2026 (32)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedYes
Citation typesNeutral: 170

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