Immigration and the New Religious Pluralism. A Comparison between the European Union and the United States

Abstract

This text compares the fit of migration processes and the emergence of religious pluralism in the European Union and the United States. The main thesis of the author is that the social contexts of the reception of this new immigration are marked by the way in which both societies define the presence of religion in their public spaces. Nevertheless, the differentiated fit of some immigrant groups in accordance with their religious affiliation suggests that both societies react in a different way in front of different groups. Thus, with regard to Islam, the European societies construct the image of the “religious other”, perceiving their social fit as being problematic. In the United States, the incorporation of Islam adopts other parameters from the moment in which religious affiliation is recognised as being a valid element for its social fit.

Keywords

• European Union
• United States
• religion
• immigration
• culture