Buddhist and Protestant Korean Immigrants: Religious Beliefs and Socioeconomic Aspects of Life (New Americans (Lfb Scholarly Publishing Llc).)

Kwon explores how Korea's two major religious groups, Buddhists and Protestants, have emigrated and how their religious beliefs affect their adjustments after immigration. Kwon bases his study on a survey of 114 Korean congregations, participatory observation of a Buddhist temple and a Protestant church, and in-depth interviews with 109 devout immigrants. He finds that non-religious variables - urban background, educational level, and social class - have a greater effect on adjustment to the host society than religion does. Religious congregations promote members' social capital for adjustment, but at the same religious participation serves as a barrier to assimilation.