Love thy neighbour? Religion and ethnoracial boundaries among second-generation West African youth

Abstract

Immigration scholars and religious studies scholars have explored generational changes in religiosity. Less clear is the significance of religion in the lives of Black immigrant second-generation youth. Moreover, while there is research on intraracial boundary-negotiations between Black Americans and Black immigrants in the United States, it is rarely discussed in the context of religion. Drawing on interviews with seventy one second-generation West African teenagers in New York City, this paper explores the role of religion in the integration of Black immigrant second-generation youth. I find that religion is a primary tool through which ethnoracial boundaries are maintained between the children of West African immigrants and their Black American counterparts. I spotlight three means through which religion matters for ethnoracial boundaries: congregational demographics, religious codes of conduct and Islamophobia. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that religion is a key component of second-generation ethnoracial identity-formation.