The Latin American Pentecostal Community of Superdiverse Berchem
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The Latin American Pentecostal community of superdiverse Berchem Marco Jose Rueda Aguila Anr: 688984 Master’s Thesis Communication and Information Sciences Specialization: Data Journalism Faculty of Humanities Tilburg University, Tilburg Supervisor: prof. dr. J.M.E. Blommaert Second Reader: dr. M. Spotti October 2016 Abstract: The globalization and the gradual increase of worldwide information and communication technologies has brought deep transformations in some of the landscapes of European urban areas. Such changes are related as well with the escalation of international migration, which means an unprecedented mixture of people with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds living in the same environment. This phenomenon, which is called super-diversity, demands new formulas aimed at solving people identity, adaptation and integration challenges arisen from this complex situation. In this context, the ethnographic study of a community reveals itself as a powerful technique to observe and comprehend who are them, where are they from and how do they relate with their host country as well as with their country of origin. In particular, this study revolves around the Latin American Pentecostal community of Berchem, an Antwerp’s district in which ‘superdiverse’ features are found. Pentecostal churches are one of the most significant appearances in the neighbourhood within the last ten years. The research discloses the way in which Pentecostal churchers are connected to the last stage of migration by investigating their role within the community in which they operate. These places, which are a matter of debate among public institutions in Belgium, provide social and emotional assistance to their converts, which makes of them important infrastructures in superdiverse environments. Nevertheless, due to the nature of such churhces, at some point they can also obstruct the natural integration process of the newcomer. “The humanist side of our writing, as reporters, consist in showing a real, honest picture of the world we live in, not a set of stereotypes. This is one of the main tasks of literature, art and every form of cultural manifestation.” Ryszard Kapuscinsky Table of contents: ABSTRACT: ................................................................................................................................................................. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS: .......................................................................................................................................... 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 6 1.1 GLOBALIZATION ............................................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 SUPERDIVERSITY ............................................................................................................................................. 9 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ................................................................................................................................ 10 1.3.1 Methods ................................................................................................................................................... 11 1.3.2 The access to the field ....................................................................................................................... 11 1.3.3 Data collection ..................................................................................................................................... 12 1.4 STRUCTURE OF THE PAPER ......................................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 2. MIGRATION AND RELIGION ................................................................................. 16 2.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF MIGRATIONS BETWEEN LATIN AMERICA AND EUROPE .................. 16 2.1.1 EUROPEAN MIGRATION TO ‘THE AMERICAS’ ....................................................................................... 16 2.1.2 Latin American migration to Europe ......................................................................................... 17 2.2 MIGRATION AND RELIGION ......................................................................................................................... 22 2.2.1 European evangelization of the continent ............................................................................... 22 2.2.2 Religious identity within migrants in the Americas ............................................................ 22 2.2.3 The surge of Evangelism and Pentecostalism in Europe ................................................... 23 2.3 MIGRATION AND PENTECOSTALISM IN ‘LATIN AMERICAN BELGIUM’ ............................................... 24 2.3.1 General background .......................................................................................................................... 24 2.3.2 Pentecostalism in Belgium .............................................................................................................. 25 2.4 MIGRATION AND RELIGION WITHIN THE LATIN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN ANTWERP ................ 26 2.4.1 Personal stories .................................................................................................................................... 26 2.4.2 Analysis of statements of the participants ............................................................................... 32 CHAPTER 3: ANTWERP, SUPERDIVERSE BERCHEM AND THE LATIN AMERICAN PENTECOSTAL COMMUNITY. ...................................................................................................... 34 3.1 ANTWERP ...................................................................................................................................................... 34 3.1.1 Basic information ................................................................................................................................ 34 3.1.2 Antwerp diversity ................................................................................................................................ 35 3.2 SUPERDIVERSE BERCHEM ........................................................................................................................... 35 3.3. THE LATIN AMERICAN COMMUNITY OF ‘EVANGELIST BERCHEM’ ...................................................... 37 3.3.1 Diversity of the community’s spatial distribution ................................................................. 37 3.3.2 Labour market integration ............................................................................................................. 40 3.3.3. The foundations of the community ............................................................................................. 42 CHAPTER 4. THE LATIN AMERICAN PENTECOSTAL CHURCH ........................................... 47 4.1 THE ‘MOVIMIENTO MISIONERO MUNDIAL’ ............................................................................................ 47 4.2 THE FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH ................................................................................................................ 48 4.3 ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE CHURCH .............................................................................................................. 49 4.4 SOLIDARITY NETWORKS .............................................................................................................................. 50 5. DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................... 51 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................................... 54 Acknowledgements This research has been, without any doubt, one of the most challenging and difficult situations I have ever had to face in my life. But, and I am pretty sure of this, also the most unexpected and enriching experience for me within the last years. As I didn’t have any previous background either in ethnography or religious studies, it took me a lot of reading and thinking to adapt my perspective to the task I was meant to do. Nevertheless, as a journalist I feel blessed of having this opportunity, which has changed my perception about so many things that surrounds us that would be impossible to enumerate in here. First and foremost, I would like to show the deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Dr. Jan Blommaert, for introducing me to his unique neighbourhood, as well as being a constant source of help. He has always been able to give me meaningful insights when I needed them, even when he spent some time off from work. At the same time, I would like to thank Gosia Szabla, who also researched the Polish community of Antwerp, for her meaningful support during the first stage of my research. Her advices were the best I could ask for during the first contacts with the field of research. Second, I want to say a deep thank you to my girlfriend, Africa, who has been an invaluable support during all the time I spent with the Latin American Pentecostal community of Antwerp. During the research I experienced good moments, but sometimes I also felt really insecure about my relationship