Filipino American Faith in Action: Immigration, Religion, and Civic Engagement

by Joaquin Jay González III

Filipinos are now the second largest Asian American immigrant group in the United States, with a population larger than Japanese Americans and Korean Americans combined. Surprisingly, there is little published on Filipino Americans and their religion, or the ways in which their religious traditions may influence the broader culture in which they are becoming established.

Filipino American Faith in Action draws on interviews, survey data, and participant observation to shed light on this large immigrant community. It explores Filipino American religious institutions as essential locations for empowerment and civic engagement, illuminating how Filipino spiritual experiences can offer a lens for viewing this migrant community s social, political, economic, and cultural integration into American life. Gonzalez examines Filipino American church involvement and religious practices in the San Francisco Bay Area and in the Phillipines, showing how Filipino Americans maintain community and ethnic and religious networks, contra assimilation theory, and how they go about sharing their traditions with the larger society."

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2009

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, it is what it says it is. It's worth saying that this isn't a nationwide survey but a more focused study on Filipino-American Christian communities in the Bay Area of California, specifically as regards the intersection of faith and political action. The highest praise I can give it is that it is what it says it is; I didn't go into it particularly interested on the topic, and there wasn't any point where it won me over. It probably just wasn't for me, but I would have hoped it to get me at least somewhat invested in some way. I won't be keeping my eyes out for the sequel, is what I'm saying.

-Sam

[Jack Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good sociological look at Filipinos in the San Francisco Bay Area and their faith. However, it would have been better to elaborate on the class background and set up a contrast between Filipino secular and religious organizers and organizations. Also, a more overall look at the global diaspora and Filipinos in the U.S. would have been nice in order to contrast the data collected in the book by Joaquin Gonzalez and his team.