Mapping Interfaith Engagement: Interfaith Activities, Sources of Influence, and Motivations for Involvement
| dc.contributor.advisor | Maton, Kenneth I. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Hosler, Jennifer | |
| dc.contributor.department | Psychology | |
| dc.contributor.program | Psychology | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-09-29T15:37:35Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-09-29T15:37:35Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022-01-01 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Interfaith engagement involves contact and interventions between people of different religions, encompassing dialogues, activism, service, education, and more. This qualitative study on interfaith engagement in the United States utilized semi-structured interviews (N = 34) to examine participant experiences in interfaith activities, sources of influence, and motivations for their interfaith engagement, using an ecological lens. Additional research questions explored how minoritized religious identity status impacts interfaith involvement, plus if and how the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, the "Muslim bans,” and recent antisemitic attacks influenced participants’ interfaith engagement. Over half of participants (n = 19; 56%) identified with minoritized religious identities, while slightly under half (n = 15; 44%) were Christian. Thematic analysis was used to explore the interview data. Interviewees spoke about involvement in a vast array of interfaith activities, categorized into 24 distinct activities and grouped into five domains: developing relationships across religious difference, experiencing other religious traditions and interfaith settings, building knowledge about religious traditions and identities, engaging social issues and doing service, and participating in interfaith organizations and groups. The initial involvement scenarios of interviewees were described and categorized by age and life stage, formal or informal involvement, trajectory of involvement, and ecological factors of influence. Sources of influence on interfaith engagement included formative experiences, relationships, and setting-level influences, and were found across all ecological levels. Motivations for interfaith involvement included 1) addressing divisions and hostility, 2) proactively building interfaith understanding, 3) coping as a minoritized religion, 4) living out values and beliefs, and 5) pursuing interests and issues. Motivations for interfaith engagement were primarily at macrosystemic and individual levels. The study findings extend our understanding of the wide variety and nature of interfaith activities, sources of influence, and the motivations that lead to interfaith involvement, with insight as to the influence of various ecological levels and recent political and historical events. The relation of the findings to previous research and theory are discussed, along with strengths and limitations of the study, directions for future research, and implications for interfaith practitioners seeking to enhance the extent and impact of interfaith engagement in our communities and nation. | |
| dc.format | application:pdf | |
| dc.genre | dissertations | |
| dc.identifier | doi:10.13016/m2fkax-opdx | |
| dc.identifier.other | 12546 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11603/25947 | |
| dc.language | en | |
| dc.relation.isAvailableAt | The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | UMBC Psychology Department Collection | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | UMBC Theses and Dissertations Collection | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | UMBC Graduate School Collection | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | UMBC Student Collection | |
| dc.rights | This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by UMBC for non-commercial research and education. For permission to publish or reproduce, please see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/specoll/repro.php or contact Special Collections at speccoll(at)umbc.edu | |
| dc.source | Original File Name: Hosler_umbc_0434D_12546.pdf | |
| dc.subject | 2016 Election | |
| dc.subject | Ecological Model | |
| dc.subject | Interfaith Engagement | |
| dc.subject | Intergroup Engagement | |
| dc.subject | Motivation | |
| dc.subject | Religious Identities | |
| dc.title | Mapping Interfaith Engagement: Interfaith Activities, Sources of Influence, and Motivations for Involvement | |
| dc.type | Text | |
| dcterms.accessRights | Distribution Rights granted to UMBC by the author. | |
| dcterms.accessRights | Access limited to the UMBC community. Item may possibly be obtained via Interlibrary Loan thorugh a local library, pending author/copyright holder's permission. |