The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

Dr. Jeanne H. Kilde and Dr. Gayle Graham Yates

Macalester College and the University of Minnesota
Mapping Religious Pluralism in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area

 

Project Description

This project is a collaboration beginning spring semester 2000 among students and two faculty members of Macalester College, St. Paul, MN, and the University of Minnesota. Two classes on the contemporary religious scene in the United States – Jeanne H. Kilde's "American Religion, Twentieth Century" class offered through the Religious Studies department at Macalester and Gayle Graham Yates' "Thought and Practice of American Religions" class offered through the American Studies Program at the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis Campus – will work together to update the original information gathered on the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area by the Pluralism Project and add to the data base new information on the religious lives and organizations of Native Americans, ethnic Lutherans and Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, African Americans, Hindus, Jains, Pagans and Wiccans, Unitarians, Mormons, and other communities.

Since the Pluralism Project's examination of the Twin Cities' religious scene in 1992 and 96, Minnesota's major metropolitan area has experienced profound growth, particularly through immigration. Hispanics, Hmong and pther Southeast Asians, Somalis and other East and West Africans, and Russians have not only found attractive economic opportunities in the area but also have been sponsored by numerous Twin Cities religious organizations. Many new religious organizations have formed, transforming the area's religious landscape. As during earlier periods of immigration, however, the integration of new immigrants into the social fabric has not always gone smoothly, and the Twin Cities have experienced a number of incidents in which religious individuals, practices, and buildings have been targets of abuse. Thus the project will deal with social justice issues and responses to religious and interreligious intolerance and hate-based crimes and exclusions.

The immediate goals of this project blend the desire to expose the students in these two classes to the diversity of religious perspectives found in the area and the desire to contribute to a public resource that offers such exposure and education to a broader population. Students working in teams will research several religious traditions, gathering statistical data on current representation, collecting information on religious thought and practice (including celebrations and artistic expression), doing field visits to building sites, and discussing social and political issues of relevance to each community with members. With this data, students will develop a website mapping religious pluralism in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the surrounding suburbs. If time permits, the students will also produce a booklet containing the same information.

The long-range goals of the project are to produce a modest study of religious pluralism in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area and to publish a handbook on the topic similar to World Religions in Boston. To this end, we anticipate working with future groups of students beyond the spring 2000 semester.

Project consultative group:

Dr. Mary Farrell Bednarowski – United Theological Seminary, New Brighton, MN

Ms. Sue Ebbers – United Theological Seminary, New Brighton, MN

Rabbi Joseph Edelheit – Temple Israel, Minneapolis, MN

Dr. Caesar Farah – Afro-American Studies, University of Minnesota

Dr. Edward M. Griffin – English, American Studies, University of Minnesota

Dr. Indira Junghare – Asian and Slavic Languages and Literature, Institute for Linguistics, University of Minnesota

Dr. James Laine – Religious Studies, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN

Ms. Celia Hales Mabry – Wilson Library, University of Minnesota

Dr. William Malandra – Religious Studies, University of Minnesota

Dr. Judith Martin – Geography, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA), University of Minnesota

Dr. Anthony Pinn – Religious Studies, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN

Dr. Thomas Scott – Political Science, CURA, University of Minnesota

Mr. Fred Smith – CURA, University of Minnesota

Contact information:

Jeanne H. Kilde Visiting Assistant Professor Religious Studies Department Macalester College 1600 Grand Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 tel: (651) 696-6597 fax: (651) 696-6008 kilde@macalester.edu

Gayle Graham Yates Professor Program in American Studies University of Minnesota 104 Scott Hall, 72 Pleasant Street S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455 tel: (612) 624-5076 fax: (612) 624-3858 graha001@maroon.tc.umn.edu