Zschomler, Danny. 2018. ”A Road to Prosperity?” - the Values and Value Struggles of Members of the Prosperity Movement on the Old Kent Road in the UK
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Zschomler, Danny. 2018. ”A road to prosperity?” - the values and value struggles of members of the Prosperity Movement on the Old Kent Road in the UK. Doctoral thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London [Thesis] https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/25976/ The version presented here may differ from the published, performed or presented work. Please go to the persistent GRO record above for more information. If you believe that any material held in the repository infringes copyright law, please contact the Repository Team at Goldsmiths, University of London via the following email address: [email protected]. The item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated. For more information, please contact the GRO team: [email protected] “A ROAD TO PROSPERITY?” – THE VALUES AND VALUE STRUGGLES OF MEMBERS OF THE PROSPERITY MOVEMENT ON THE OLD KENT ROAD IN THE UK Danny Zschomler Goldsmiths, University of London Thesis submitted for the degree of Ph.D. in Sociology December, 2017 1 Declaration of Authorship I hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is always clearly stated. Signed: ____________________ Date: _____________________ 2 Acknowledgements Most and foremost I would like to thank Professor Bev Skeggs for the opportunity she provided for me to be part of her ESRC funded value/values project. She has been an exceptional supervisor throughout. Without her continuous support and encouragement, this research would not have been possible. I also owe gratitude to my second supervisor Professor Adam Dinham whose support and insights were especially valuable in the earlier stages of this project. I would also like to thank my upgrade examiners, Professor Abby Day and Professor Mike Featherstone for their critical and constructive feedback. I had a supportive academic environment and network at Goldsmiths for which I am very grateful and from where I could draw a lot of inspiration. My sincere thanks go to all my participants who welcomed me and allowed me to be part of their community. I am also very grateful for the support of my wife throughout the process of this research project and her constant help in every aspect of my life and this research. She has been a source of strength for me during this period. 3 Abstract This thesis explores the localised prosperity movement on the Old Kent Road in London, which is heavily concentrated among Black Majority Churches attended by West African immigrants. The research draws on Skeggs’ person-value model (2011, 2014) to examine whether the prosperity gospel has monetized Christian faith such that all immaterial values are converted to material value, and asks what, if anything, is left behind. Using a combination of urban ethnography, ethnography of religion, semi-structured interviews, visual methods (semiotics) and textual analysis, I examine the lived experience of the members of these churches, focusing on one specific church as a case study. This study has shown that the members of this movement experience various adverse circumstances such as difficulties associated with the migrant experience and institutionalized racism. The prosperity gospel functions as a liberation theology to counteract their marginalized position, as they strive collectively to reimagine and reposition themselves in society through various reactive and proactive strategies combined with the Pentecostal work ethic and through investing in the second generation. The Bible is used as a manual for being successful and overcoming obstacles. Through the message and practices, negative affects are transformed into positive affects and members are reinvigorated for their daily struggles. As the members resist their positioning by the dominant symbolic, a collective consciousness is formed where values of love and care are prevalent. Due to the members’ adverse circumstances, prosperity theology adds a dimension of material value. However, this is on the basis of traditional Christian values and other values can also be found. This study validates Skeggs’ person-value framework and also extends its reach to include transnational and religious aspects and the intersectionality between class and race. It also has important implications for the role of religion in fostering the integration of new migrants into the broader society. 4 Contents Part 1 Chapter One: Introduction 12 Global neoliberalisation and the London context-localised transnationalism 16 The postcolonial legacies and the multicultural present of the research setting 24 The role religion plays in this urban-migration context 28 Contribution and thesis outline 47 Chapter Two: Theoretical Framework 60 Introduction 60 Skeggs’ sociology of value and values 60 Theoretical foundations - Bourdieu and the exchange-value self 62 Bourdieu and the transnational migrant experience 66 Skeggs’ criticism of Bourdieu and extensions to the person value concept 72 Value /values and prosperity theology 76 Chapter Three: Ethnographic Journeys and Knowledge Making 78 Introduction 78 Justification of approach, validity, gaining an insider view and ethical responsibilities 80 An ethnographic journey – first steps 84 Seeing things differently – an ethnography of the OKR 87 Extensive fieldwork – an ethnography of one of the churches 93 Doing reflexive practice – epistemic responsibility 100 Conclusion 111 Part 2 Chapter Four: The Old Kent Road: Outside and Inside Its Churches 113 Introduction 113 Brief history and future prospects of the Old Kent Road 116 Southwark demographics 122 Black Majority Churches on the OKR 130 Delving deeper inside the churches 143 Conclusion 162 5 Chapter Five: Roots / Routes of the Prosperity Theology Movement 164 Introduction 164 Prosperity – the American gospel 166 Through the lens of a mega-event - Mission to London 173 The West African prosperity movement in London 182 Out of the ashes we rise: The Festival of Life 187 Conclusion: global – local – glocal 193 Part 3 Chapter Six: Resistance from the Margins 197 Introduction 197 Positioning, re-positioning and re-imagining 198 Repositioning and re-imagining on the OKR 204 Liberation theology- prosperity theology that seeks to re-position their members 207 Life-coaches as agents of change and life-coaching strategies 211 Conclusion 227 Chapter Seven: Value: Indefatigability and Tenacity 229 Introduction 229 Transformation/re-structuring of habitus 231 Techniques employed in the struggle for value 233 Conclusion 255 Chapter Eight: Value: Adaptability and Embodiment 256 Introduction 256 Struggle for social capital affecting adaptation 257 Struggle for cultural capital 265 Investment in children – counteracting deprivation and stigmatisation 278 Conclusion 283 Chapter Nine: Values: Affective Community and a Culture of Reciprocity 288 Introduction 288 Solidarity and reciprocal altruism 289 Vitality, valour and effervescence - embodying the conditions of inequality and injustice differently 297 Conclusion 312 6 Chapter 10: Conclusion 314 Implications and policy recommendations 320 Appendices 325 Appendix One: Interviewees 325 Appendix Two: Prayer Points from the Festival of Life 327 Bibliography 328 7 List of Abbreviations BBT report Being Built Together report BMC Black Majority Church COMPAS Centre of Migration, Policy and Society FoL Festival of Life GO General Overseer IMD Index of Multiple Deprivation MCWE Morris Cerullo World Evangelism MSG The Message Bible translation MTL Mission to London NIV New International Version Bible translation NKJV New King James Version Bible translation NLT New Living Translation Bible translation NRSV New Revised Standard Version Bible translation OKR Old Kent Road RCCG Redeemed Christian Church of God 8 List of Figures Figure 1.1: A typical prosperity message Figure 2.1: A new view of ‘person value’ Figure 3.1: An assemblage of first research impressions along the OKR Figure 3.2: Banner advertising a prosperity event Figure 4.1: Old Kent Road street sign Figure 4.2: Map of London highlighting the position of the Old Kent Road Figure 4.3: Old Kent Road, 2015 Figure 4.4: Old Kent Road, 1905 Figure 4.5: Old Kent Road Characterisation Study worksheet example Figure 4.6: Route of the Old Kent Road overlaid on maps of Southwark IMD Figure 4.7: A map charting ethnicity in London in 10 person dots Figure 4.8: Assemblage of people along the Old Kent Road Figure 4.9: Multi-ethnic food retail and food services shop activities on the OKR Figure 4.10: Key features of the Old Kent Road Figure 4.11: The South Eastern Gas Works then and now Figure 4.12: Old Kent Road historic buildings now used by BMCs Figure 4.13: Outer facades of the Black Majority Churches on the Old Kent Road Figure 4.14: Map of churches on the Old Kent Road including church names Figure 4.15: Church signs along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria Figure 4.16: Signs on the outside of church buildings on the Old Kent Road Figure 4.17: Worshippers in a Black Majority Church Figure 4.18: Photo of welcome present bag including contents Figure 4.19: The use of technology in the ‘Overcomers’ Church’ Figure 4.20: A worship session Figure 4.21: Image of worship Figure 4.22: Artefact from fieldwork on the principle of tithing Figure 4.23: Financial report presentation (anonymized) Figure 5.1: The Mission to London event: advertisement, venue, and preachers Figure 5.2: A street-preacher warning of Morris Cerullo and one of his banners 9 Figure 5 3: Stands at Earl’s Court exhibition centre promoting prosperity products