Expressions of Minority Religion in the Urban Space and Immigrant Acculturation

• In Event: The Built Environment, Urban Context, and Political Behavior

Abstract

In recent years, courts and legislators in Europe have deliberated over the nuts and bolts of migrants’ religious expressions in the public space, such as religious structures and insignia. Despite the vast political importance of this issue, empirical research on the impact of manifestations of religion in the public space is scarce and focused on members of the host society. Further, conflicting views exist about the potential effects of exposure of a member of a minority religion to reminders of their religion on their acculturation: some expect it to impede integration, others contest that it can facilitate it, and yet others assume that exposure to identity cues will have no influence outside of the lab in a rich real-world environment. This study addresses the gap in empirical research on the impact of religious symbols in the urban environment on immigrant integration, using field experiments in Paris and London. Our results provide causal evidence on how exposure to physical religious symbols influences the integration of minority-religion immigrants, measured as engagement with the local urban environment. We employ a unique spatial game, randomly assigning participants to routes with or without attention to minority-religion cues. The study contributes to understanding the role of spatial manifestations of religion in urban spaces on immigrant integration, offering insights for policymakers and urban planners.

Author

• Pazit Ben-Nun Bloom, Hebrew University of Jerusalem