Copyright by Stephen Michael Cherry 2008
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Copyright by Stephen Michael Cherry 2008 The Dissertation Committee for Stephen Michael Cherry Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Breaking the Bread, Sharing the Wine: Religion as Culture and Community in the Civic Life of Filipino-Americans Committee: Michael P. Young, Supervisor Christopher G. Ellison, Co-Supervisor David L. Leal Sharmila Rudrappa R. Stephen Warner Robert D. Woodberry Breaking the Bread, Sharing the Wine: Religion as Culture and Community in the Civic Life of Filipino-Americans by Stephen Michael Cherry, B.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May, 2008 Dedication For Emily Chan Salazar Cherry, my love, support, and inspiration through life and study Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank the numerous Filipino-Americans in Houston who let me share a glimpse of their vibrant lives. Without them this dissertation would not have been possible. Second, I would like to thank members of my dissertation committee for their suggestions and advice throughout the project. In particular, Michael Young lent sage advice to both the arguments and their presentation. Additionally, Michael’s work on cultural schemas provided a key starting point for my own theorizing of religious effects on Filipino-American civic life. Chris Ellison provided invaluable assistance in the statistical analysis and likewise helped to further shape both the arguments and their presentation. Chris also made crucial suggestions about the future directions of the project. Steve Warner was instrumental to the initial formation of the project. It was through his presentation on the de-Europeanization of American religion that I came to the realization how little studied Filipino-Americans are in the social scientific literature. Sharmila Rudrapa likewise lent key insight into Asian American studies and the ways scholars have studied Asian populations. Sharmila also made important suggestions about the future directions of the study. Bob Woodberry provided an important global perspective and was instrumental in the shaping of my analysis of Philippine religious history, especially the role of missionaries during the American v colonial period. And David Leal provided a key Hispanic counterpoint to the Filipino- American case further shaping my arguments. Third, I would also like to thank fellow graduate students Matt Bradshaw, Mike Roemer, and Bryan Shepherd for providing an invaluable sounding board for my arguments throughout the process. I am also indebted to Evelyn Porter for her support through my graduate experience. vi Breaking the Bread, Sharing the Wine: Religion as Culture and Community in the Civic Life of Filipino-Americans Publication No._____________ Stephen Michael Cherry, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2008 Supervisor: Michael P. Young Christopher G. Ellison At nearly 2.5 million people and growing via native birth and immigration, Asian American Catholics are an important part of the demographic transformation of American Catholicism. Among the Asian groups making the greatest impact are Filipino- Americans who are the second largest Asian American population and represent the second largest source of Catholic immigration to the United States, second only to Mexico. Woefully understudied, little is known about Filipino-Americans and the ways in which Catholicism impacts their community. Drawing on ethnographic data collected in Houston, Texas as well as survey analysis of the Social Capital Community Benchmark survey, this study explores the dynamic relationship between religion and civic life among first-generation Filipino-Americans. Contrary to what may be anticipated from the social scientific literature on Asian American Catholics in general, Filipino-American Catholics participate in civic life to the same degree as Protestants, if vii not more. Although the Filipino-American community may currently face internal concerns that can detract from civic participation, religion plays an important role in overcoming these obstacles and mobilizing active civic lives. Focusing on four sets of extensive religious resources: 1) religious institutions, specifically the Catholic Church, 2) involvement in church through active weekly attendance, 3) involvement in church through other activities not associated with regular attendance such as Bible studies, and 4) involvement in religious groups such Couples for Christ and Palitaw that are not affiliated with a church, the findings of this study point to Catholicism as a dynamic and vibrant faith that bridges the spaces between culture, home, and civil society. It also highlights the more intimate and intensive resources found in these home devotional and prayer groups that inform and shape not only how Filipino-Americans define community but build it and engage it in the United States and the Philippines simultaneously. viii Table of Contents List of Tables ...........................................................................................................x Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................1 Filipino-American Religious and Civic Life .................................................5 Situating Immigration, Religion, and Civic Life in America ...............9 Filipino-Americans, an Overview .......................................................16 Civically Engaged Catholics ...............................................................18 A Puzzle ..............................................................................................21 Studying Filipino-Americans in Houston and Beyond ................................22 Filipino-Americans in Houston............................................................23 Methodology and Data.........................................................................24 Qualitative Analysis ............................................................................25 Quantitative Analysis...........................................................................29 Study Overview ...........................................................................................32 Chapter 2 Faith and the Filipino, a Catholic Legacy and a Curious Neglect........35 Faith and the Filipino ...................................................................................39 Curious Neglects..................................................................................40 Historicizing Faith and the Filipino .............................................................44 A Catholic Nation ................................................................................45 Philippinization of Catholicism ...........................................................47 A Catholic Renaissance .......................................................................50 Religion in American Diaspora ...................................................................54 Religion and Filipino Immigration Prior to 1965 ................................54 Philippinization of American Catholicism, A Second Filipino Catholic Renaissance.................................................................................59 Chapter 3 Upon This Rock, Religious Resources and Filipino-American Civic Life .......................................................................................................................64 Upon this Rock ...................................................................................68 Filipino-American Religious and Civic Life in an Emotional Context ........69 ix A Universal and Transnational Church, Catholic Institutional Resources .....................................................................................................75 Wherever Two are Gathered, Catholic Home Devotional and Prayer Groups ........................................................................................79 The Power of Faith, Emotion, and Moral Commitment .....................84 Chapter 4 Churched Politics, Filipino-American Interests in Political Issues.......90 Churched Politics ................................................................................92 Situating Filipino-American Politics ...........................................................95 Filipino-American Political Interests and Religious Life ...................99 An Immigrant Church and a Moral Dilemma ...................................103 Gatherings in Diaspora ...............................................................................111 Chapter 5 Matters of Faith, Filipino-American Political Activism .....................118 Matters of Faith .................................................................................121 Filipino-American Religious Life and American Electoral Politics ..........124 A religious Awakening and a Political Shift in the 2004 Presidential Election ....................................................................................127 Filipino-American Activism and Religious Life ........................................133 Mobilizing an Immigrant Church .....................................................134 Generalizing Beyond the Case of Immigration ................................138 Grassroots and Religious Groups.......................................................144 Chapter 6 Faithfully Defining Filipino-American