The place of religious brokerage: A Mixed-methods Approach

Abstract

The article analyses the role of religious brokerage, arguing for the importance of cultural and social capital. A city like Barcelona is a place of arrival and settlement for a population with diverse trajectories. We see the urban environment as a cultural as well as a social attribute of the activity of religious brokerage. Our case studies are three religious communities in the city: Muslim Pakistani, Sikh and Philippine Catholic. Based on research using a mixed methodology, combining semi-structured interviews, observation and social network analysis (SNA), we look at the spaces where mediation occurs and the composition of the mediators' personal networks. The results obtained lead us to consider sense of place and sociability as necessary aspects of religious brokerage.