Economic History Seminar

Du 02/11/2022 de 12:00 à 13:30

Salle R2.01 Campus Jourdan

BOBERG-FAZLIC Nina (University of Southern Denmark.)

Taking it outside: Danish-American religious conflict and the integration of Danish migrants

The integration of immigrants into the society of the host country is a question of substantial importance for both research and policy. Religion is often seen as a barrier in this context. This paper contributes to the debate by studying Danish migrants emigrating to the U.S. during the age of mass migration, who are generally described as having integrated exceptionally rapidly. While Denmark is usually conceived as a very homogeneous country, during this time period a religious conflict pitted Grundtvigians against the evangelical ‘Inner Mission’ movement; a conflict which played out even more strongly within the Danish communities in the U.S. than in Denmark. We use this unique historical setting to investigate the role of religion, and especially of religious conflict, for the integration and economic success of migrants. Grundtvigian communities focused on preserving Danish culture and tradition, whereas Inner Mission communities argued for assimilation into American society. We investigate whether followers of one congregation integrated faster than those of the other and whether areas with rival churches experienced more or less integration. We are thereby able to draw conclusions on the role of religious institutions for integration and demonstrate that they need not be a barrier.