Bayanihan and Belonging: Filipinos and Religion in Canada

by Alison R. Marshall

Overview

Filipinos make up one of the largest immigrant groups in Canada and the majority continue to retain their Roman Catholic faith long after migrating. Drawing on archival and ethnographic research in Canada and the Philippines from 1880 to 2017, Bayanihan and Belonging aims to understand the role of religion within present-day Filipino Canadian communities.

With a focus on Winnipeg, home to Canada’s oldest and largest Filipino Canadian community, Alison R. Marshall showcases current church-based and domestic religious routines of migrant Filipinos. From St. Edward the Confessor Church, the principal site of worship for Filipino Catholics in Manitoba, to home chapels, and healing traditions, Marshall explores the day-to-day celebrations of bayanihan, or communal spirit. Drawing on experiences from Manitoba’s Filipino population, Bayanihan and Belonging reveals that religious practise fulfills not only a need for spiritual guidance, but also for community.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781487517526
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	02/05/2018
Series:	Asian Canadian Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Alison R. Marshall is a professor in the Department of Religion at Brandon University.

Table of Contents

1. Religion
2. Migration History
3. Filipinos in Winnipeg
4. Filipinos in Brandon
5. Religious Activities and Expressions Outside of Church
6. Filipino-Canadian Protestants and their Churches
7. The Rise of Voluntary Associations
8. Winnipeg’s Church Staff
9. Filipinos in Manitoba beyond Winnipeg

What People are Saying About This

Peter Beyer

"In this work, Alison Marshall once again renders visible a portion of Canada's multicultural and religiously diverse mosaic that generally receives little attention in the literature or even in public discussion. Whereas in her previous work that group was the ethnically Chinese population of the pre-1970s era, here she shows the diversity and complexity of the histories and biographies of those who have come to Canada from the Philippines. In telling their stories and letting them tell their stories, with emphasis on what has been important to them in their settlement in Canada, Marshall goes beyond vague conceptions and stereotypes to recover and profile what may be lost or invisible. The book makes a genuine contribution and should be recommended to anyone who wants to see what diversity in our country actually looks like in person and on the ground."

Editorial Reviews

"Alison Marshall is a wise ethnographer. She is keenly aware of her own positionality as both non-Filipino and a researcher interacting with her participants…Marshall is self-aware, and she knows that what appears mundane to some reveals just as much about the beholder as the object of their gaze."

—Lydia Bringerud, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Journal of Folklore Research

"This study of Filipinos in Manitoba is highly recommended for its scholarly value and as an interesting read about energetic and hardworking new Canadians."

—Terence J. Fay SJ, University of Toronto, Historical Studies

"In this work, Alison Marshall once again renders visible a portion of Canada’s multicultural and religiously diverse mosaic that generally receives little attention in the literature or even in public discussion. Whereas in her previous work that group was the ethnically Chinese population of the pre-1970s era, here she shows the diversity and complexity of the histories and biographies of those who have come to Canada from the Philippines. In telling their stories and letting them tell their stories, with emphasis on what has been important to them in their settlement in Canada, Marshall goes beyond vague conceptions and stereotypes to recover and profile what may be lost or invisible. The book makes a genuine contribution and should be recommended to anyone who wants to see what diversity in our country actually looks like in person and on the ground."

—Peter Beyer, Department of Classics and Religious Studies, University of Ottawa

From the Publisher

"Alison Marshall is a wise ethnographer. She is keenly aware of her own positionality as both non-Filipino and a researcher interacting with her participants...Marshall is self-aware, and she knows that what appears mundane to some reveals just as much about the beholder as the object of their gaze."

Journal of Folklore Research - Lydia Bringerud

"This study of Filipinos in Manitoba is highly recommended for its scholarly value and as an interesting read about energetic and hardworking new Canadians."

Historical Studies - Terence J. Fay SJ