Place-making and religion: A solidarity psychology of the commons

Abstract

The relationship between religion and place must account for the actors who shape the places where a given religion occurs. The ‘commons’ is a comprehensive framework to consider religion and place and it supports a “solidarity psychology” that emphasizes mutualism, human wellness and wholeness through stewarding shared resources or ‘commoning’. A mosque controversy in Brooklyn demonstrates the challenges in achieving a solidarity psychology of the commons. Research into national controversies, local organizing, field visits, census data and interviews shows how people differ on the content of their commons. In places of great diversity and bitter contestation, it is vital to understand how to build the commons. An example of a place-based pedagogy in Brooklyn is proposed as a way to promote religious understanding across differences and create the conditions for a commons that arises through negotiating those differences.