Identity Construction Among Mexican Congregants in Santa Ana, CA: How Religious Affiliation Influences Intra-ethnic Divergence in Acculturation

Team Members/Contributors

Jonathan Calvillo University of California, Irvine Contact Me

About this dissertation fellowship

Major shifts are occurring in the religious identification of Latinos in general, and ethnic Mexicans in particular. In light of current trends, the relationship between ethnic identity and religious identity for the Mexican-origin population merits further analysis. This study examines how the religious affiliation of Mexican immigrants influences their ethnic identity and affects the structuring of intra-ethnic networks, and of cultural reproduction. Employing a comparative framework, the study analyzes the experience of Catholics and Evangelicals, the two largest religious groupings among Latinos. Data collection was comprised of a three-tiered approach. Preliminary engagement involved an informal survey of the religious landscape of Santa Ana, CA, the geographic focus of the entire study. Next, data was collected via in-depth interviews of Mexican parishioners; fifty adult congregants, twenty-five of them Catholic, and twenty-five of them Evangelical, were interviewed. Finally, participant observation was conducted at local congregations in order to assess the effects of religious affiliation within actual social contexts. Preliminary results suggest that Catholics and Evangelicals are involved in divergent ethno-racial processes with the potential for differing outcomes of acculturation.