Peggy Levitt
Encyclopedia
Peggy Levitt is Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Wellesley College. Peggy specializes in religious transnationalism
, the immigrant experience, the migration and development nexus, and economic, political and cultural globalization
.
and how the religious practices of both new and established immigrant groups are changing America
and the homelands from which they come. She codirects the Transnational Studies Initiative and is a Research Fellow at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations
and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University
.
Her new book, God Needs No Passport, is about how immigrants are changing the American religious landscape. Levitt argues that to understand immigration, one must first understand the impact of religion. She claims that immigration globalizes American religion as well as economics and politics and creates a more pluralistic
, cosmopolitan American society. Simultaneously, American core values of family, community and hard work are replenished and exported.
Levitt states that Americans used to believe that immigrants came to America to “become American”, or at least to become hyphenated Americans, however she believes that this is no longer the case. The United States
is increasingly becoming home to millions of people whose values are derived from countries and cultures around the world, and are therefore making the U.S. a place of greater religious and cultural diversity – a truly cosmopolitan nation. Levitt claims that it is no longer meaningful to talk about “us against them”, “English-only”, or to view America as a Judeo-Christian
nation.
In Levitt's first book, The Transnational Villagers, Levitt argued that remittances
are not just about money. Migrants also send social remittances
, or ideas, practices, identities, and social capital back to the communities they come from, creating important catalysts for change.
Transnationalism
Transnationalism is a social movement and scholarly research agenda grown out of the heightened interconnectivity between people and the receding economic and social significance of boundaries among nation states....
, the immigrant experience, the migration and development nexus, and economic, political and cultural globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
.
Biography
Peggy Levitt is an expert on immigrationImmigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
and how the religious practices of both new and established immigrant groups are changing America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the homelands from which they come. She codirects the Transnational Studies Initiative and is a Research Fellow at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations
Hauser center for nonprofit organizations
The Harvard University Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, located in Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, promotes teaching, scholarship, and service to the nonprofit sector across the university. The Center's concerns include philanthropy, nonprofit organizations,...
and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Her new book, God Needs No Passport, is about how immigrants are changing the American religious landscape. Levitt argues that to understand immigration, one must first understand the impact of religion. She claims that immigration globalizes American religion as well as economics and politics and creates a more pluralistic
Cultural pluralism
Cultural pluralism is a term used when smaller groups within a larger society maintain their unique cultural identities, and their values and practices are accepted by the wider culture. Cultural pluralism is often confused with Multiculturalism...
, cosmopolitan American society. Simultaneously, American core values of family, community and hard work are replenished and exported.
Levitt states that Americans used to believe that immigrants came to America to “become American”, or at least to become hyphenated Americans, however she believes that this is no longer the case. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is increasingly becoming home to millions of people whose values are derived from countries and cultures around the world, and are therefore making the U.S. a place of greater religious and cultural diversity – a truly cosmopolitan nation. Levitt claims that it is no longer meaningful to talk about “us against them”, “English-only”, or to view America as a Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian is a term used in the United States since the 1940s to refer to standards of ethics said to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, for example the Ten Commandments...
nation.
In Levitt's first book, The Transnational Villagers, Levitt argued that remittances
Remittances
A remittance is a transfer of money by a foreign worker to his or her home country. Note that in 19th century usage a remittance man was someone exiled overseas and sent an allowance on condition that he not return home....
are not just about money. Migrants also send social remittances
Remittances
A remittance is a transfer of money by a foreign worker to his or her home country. Note that in 19th century usage a remittance man was someone exiled overseas and sent an allowance on condition that he not return home....
, or ideas, practices, identities, and social capital back to the communities they come from, creating important catalysts for change.
Works
- The Transnational Studies Reader (Routledge, 2007)
- God Needs No Passport: Immigrants and the Changing American Religious Landscape (The New Press, 2007)
- The Transnational Villagers (University of California Press, 2001)
- The Changing Face of Home (Russell Sage Publications, 2002)
Opinion pieces
- The Huffington Post, June 11, 2007, “Transnational Problems Need Transnational Solutions”
- The Huffington Post, June 6, 2007, “Dios Ha Muerto?”
- The Boston Globe, May 27, 2007, “Life, Liberty, and the Folks Back Home”
- The Boston Globe, May 27, 2007, “The Global in the Local”
- The Huffington Post, May 18, 2007, “Religion Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All”
- Seattle Post Intelligencer, May 15, 2007, “’Us vs. them’ mentality holds us back”
- The New York Times, May 6, 2007, “A Good Provider is One Who Leaves” (letter to the editor)
Works with References to Peggy Levitt
- Anglican Communion in Crisis: How Episcopal Dissidents and their African Allies are Reshaping Anglicanism (Princeton University Press 2007)
- Shades of the Planet: American Literature as World Literature (Princeton University Press 2007)
- International Migration: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press 2007)
- Diaspora Criticism (Edinburgh University Press 2007)
- Glass Towns: Industry, Labor, and Political Economy in Appalachia, 1890-1930s (University of Illinois Press 2006)
- The Devil behind the Mirror: Globalization and Politics in the Dominican Republic (University of California Press 2006)
- Passing on the Faith: Transforming Traditions for the Next Generation of Jews, Christians, and Muslims (Fordham University Press 2006)
- Paper Families: Identity, Immigration Administration, and Chinese Exclusion (Duke University Press 2006)