The Relevance of Spirituality to Cultural Identity Reconstruction for African-Caribbean Immigrant Women

Abstract

There are a growing number of immigrants relocating to new countries and sociocultural contexts. African-Caribbean immigrants represent a large population who often rely on their spiritual and religious faith practices, such as Pentecostalism, to navigate post-migration stressors. For many of these immigrants, the historical roots of slavery, colonialism, and trauma, combined with difficult post-migration experiences, culminate in unique challenges that impact their mental health. Drawing from a case study based in the Canadian context, this chapter will address the post-migration experiences of one African-Caribbean immigrant client who uses her faith to reconstruct her cultural identity. Readers are encouraged to explore salient dimensions of faith practices for their personal and cultural identities, the identities of their clients, and for designing counselling interventions that address social justice.