City of Gods: Religious Freedom, Immigration, and Pluralism in Flushing, Queens

by R. Scott Hanson, Martin E. Marty (Foreword by)

Overview

City of Gods is a history and ethnography of Flushing, Queens in New York City. An important site in colonial America for its place in the history of religious freedom, Flushing is now perhaps the most striking case of religious and ethnic pluralism in the world—and an ideal place to explore how America's long experiment with religious freedom, immigration, and religious pluralism began and continues.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823271627
Publisher:	Empire State Editions
Publication date:	07/01/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

R. Scott Hanson is a Lecturer in History at the University of Pennsylvania and an Affiliate of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University.

Table of Contents

Part I
1. Religion in Vlissingen (Flushing) from 1645 to 1945
2. Heralding "the World of Tomorrow": Religion and Community in Flushing, 1898-1965

Part II
3. Beyond Protestant-Catholic-Jew: The Immigration Act of 1965 and the Religions of "New Immigrants" in Flushing
4. A Blessing and a Curse? The Possibilities and Limits of Religious Pluralism
5. Flushing Since September 11, 2001

Appendix: Note on Methods
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Through this narrative, the reader gets close to battlers for religious freedom, will see immigration not as an issue but in a story of people, and come to regard pluralism anew, not as a philosophical analysis of diversity but instead as the perplexing and yet promising story of how people of different faiths share some features of a common life."—Martin E. Marty, from the Foreword

"Flushing, Queens, is surely one of the most religiously diverse places on the planet today. Scott Hanson's study shows how it got this way. This deeply researched and thickly described account of the gods of Flushing makes an important contribution to the history of immigration after the Hart-Celler Act of 1965 and to the study of American urban religions. City of Gods is as well a timely and necessary contribution to the public debate about the nature of American civilization."—Robert Orsi, author of The Madonna of 115th Street: Faith and Community in Italian
Harlem, 1880–1950

"This invaluable study of America's most religiously complex community effectively enshrines Flushing as a pioneer of American religious pluralism. Established by English immigrants—religious refugees from both Old and New England—under Dutch patronage, Flushing has offered a home to religious diversity from its seventeenth-century beginnings. Scott Hanson's smart, lovingly researched account illuminates how connections between the local and the international transformed a small town into a globalized urban gateway to America's religious future, while drawing inspiration from its distinctive colonial past."—Evan Haefeli, author of New Netherland and the Dutch Origins of American Religious Liberty

"City of Gods breathes fresh life into the religious pluralism tradition of theorizing and study. In this compelling—often lyrical—book, R. Scott Hanson sheds new light on urban religious history and offers vibrant, ethnographically grounded insight into the promise and challenges of life in this remarkably diverse religious environment. In our age of inter-religious conflict and immigration controversy, this work is very timely—but City of Gods is also a landmark to which people concerned with religious pluralism will return for many years to come."—Omar M. McRoberts, author of Streets of Glory, Church and Community in a Black Urban Neighborhood

"An illuminating account of what Scott Hanson rightly calls 'perhaps the most compelling case of religious and ethnic pluralism in the world.' City of Gods is an important contribution to the literature on religious diversity in America, and an inspiring read for those committed to interfaith cooperation."—Eboo Patel, Founder and President, Interfaith Youth Core

"[an] intimate portrait of lived religion. . . inspiring . . . deserves a place alongside Robert Orsi's The Madonna of 115th Street."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Minutely detailed. . . a 'case study' of the promises and drawbacks of pluralism."—The New York Times

From the Publisher

"Minutely detailed. . . a 'case study' of the promises and drawbacks of pluralism.

The New York Times

...this is a book that anyone with an interest in religion, immigration, intergroup relations, or urbanization will want to read.

Ethnic and Racial Studies

City of Gods is an important and timely study in the age of Trump. As Americans debate issues surrounding immigration policies, religious expression, and national identity, it is vital that public discourse be informed by accurate and nuanced understandings of the nation’s history of engagement with the sometimes complementary—and other times conflicting—principles of religious freedom and pluralism.

Journal of American Ethnic History

[an] intimate portrait of lived religion. . . inspiring . . . deserves a place alongside Robert Orsi's The Madonna of 115th Street.

Starred Review Publishers Weekly

City of Gods is a great addition to the pantheon of history books on New York City and is one of the first to explore the topic of racial diversity and harmony in Flushing.

Queens Gazette

...a delightful journey through American religious history and into the future, as witnessed in the streets of what the author says is the most religiously diverse community anywhere.

America

Setting his gaze on Flushing, Queens, [Hanson] examines how the history of religious freedom and waves of immigration gave rise to a remarkable religious pluralism in that community, best known as the site of the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Combining historical and ethnographic research, he is interested in uncovering “how pluralism ‘works’ at the local level.

Journal of Urban History

...a delightful journey through American religious history and into the future, as witnessed in the streets of what the author says is the most religiously diverse community anywhere.

America

“Flushing, Queens, is surely one of the most religiously diverse places on the planet today. Scott Hanson’s study shows how it got this way. This deeply researched and thickly described account of the gods of Flushing makes an important contribution to the history of immigration after the Hart-Celler Act of 1965 and to the study of American urban religions. City of Gods is as well a timely and necessary contribution to the public debate about the nature of American civilization.

author of The Madonna of 115th Street: Faith and Community in Italian Harlem, 1880-1950 - Robert Orsi

“This invaluable study of America’s most religiously complex community effectively enshrines Flushing as a pioneer of American religious pluralism. Established by English immigrants—religious refugees from both Old and New England —under Dutch patronage, Flushing has offered a home to religious diversity from its seventeenth-century beginnings. Scott Hanson’s smart, lovingly researched account illuminates how connections between the local and the international transformed a small town into a globalized urban gateway to America’s religious future, while drawing inspiration from its distinctive colonial past.

author of New Netherland and the Dutch Origins of American Religious Liberty - Evan Haefeli

“An illuminating account of what Scott Hanson rightly calls ‘perhaps the most compelling case of religious and ethnic pluralism in the world.’ City of Gods is an important contribution to the literature on religious diversity in America, and an inspiring read for those committed to interfaith cooperation."

Founder and President, Interfaith Youth Core - Eboo Patel

"Minutely detailed. . . a 'case study' of the promises and drawbacks of pluralism.

The New York Times

“Through this narrative, the reader gets close to battlers for religious freedom, will see immigration not as an issue but in a story of people, and come to regard pluralism anew, not as a philosophical analysis of diversity but instead as the perplexing and yet promising story of how people of different faiths share some features of a common life.

from the Foreword - Martin E. Marty

“City of Gods breathes fresh life into the religious pluralism tradition of theorizing and study. In this compelling—often lyrical—book, R. Scott Hanson sheds new light on urban religious history and offers vibrant, ethnographically grounded insight into the promise and challenges of life in this remarkably diverse religious environment. In our age of inter-religious conflict and immigration controversy, this work is very timely—but City of Gods is also a landmark to which people concerned with religious pluralism will return for many years to come.

author of Streets of Glory, Church and Community in a Black Urban Neighborhood - Omar M. McRoberts