Negotiating faith: Relations between English-dominant churches and Maya immigrants in Northeast Ohio
Date Approved
2025
Degree Type
Open Access Senior Honors Thesis
Department or School
Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology
First Advisor
María Luz García, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Megan K. Moore, Ph.D., D-ABFA
Third Advisor
Julian M. Murchison, Ph.D.
Abstract
In recent decades, members of Guatemalan Maya communities have immigrated to the United States, bringing their religious identities with them. Most Maya immigrants are Catholics or Protestant Christians with varying relationships to United States-based churches in the towns where they settle. This paper departs from ethnographic work in two northeast Ohio towns with a particularly large Maya immigrant population. I consider how members of predominantly white, English-speaking churches engage with growing Maya congregations in northeast Ohio with a focus on the negotiation of Maya worshipers' desires for autonomy or partnership, and the power relationships inherent in that process. I argue that while English-dominant churches and their members work to narrow the gap between themselves and Maya Guatemalan immigrants in northeast Ohio by providing various charitable programs and services, practitioners face the challenge of Christian ideals of charity actually widening the gap through the inherent power dynamic associated with the groups and services provided.
Recommended Citation
Breitner, Abigayle D., "Negotiating faith: Relations between English-dominant churches and Maya immigrants in Northeast Ohio" (2025). Senior Honors Theses and Projects. 869.
https://commons.emich.edu/honors/869