The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

Daniel Glade

Illinois Wesleyan University
Mapping the Multi-religious Diversity of the Quad Cities: A case study in Asian religions outside major metropolitan areas

The Quad Cities are a cluster of cities located in western Illinois and eastern Iowa with a population of nearly 350,000 and an increasingly diverse religious community. Following the economic transformations of the recent Mid-western industrial decline, a burgeoning and vibrant Asian immigrant community has begun to appear. Though this population embraces many different cultures and religions, the cumulative effect has been a dramatic increase in Quad Cities area religious diversity, most notably among the Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu communities. Using interviews and survey data, my project will focus on these and other religious groups in an attempt to map the changing religious landscape of Quad Cities region. In pursuit of this goal, the study will build a reliable bank of information on each religious site, explore various organizational dynamics of each group, and investigate the relationship between the assorted Asian religious communities and mainstream religious discourse. Ultimately, this project will provide valuable information concerning the challenges of Asian religious communities located outside major urban centers, filling a gap in research on America's truly pluralistic religious landscape.

Dr. Brian Hatcher is the faculty sponsor for this research.

Baha'i Faith of the Quad Cities (2004)

Islamic Center of the Quad Cities (2005)

Muslim Community of the Quad Cities (2004)

Quad Cities Sikh Religious Society (Gurdwara Sahib) (2004)

Quad City Hindu Temple (2004)

Quan Âm Linh-Són Temple (2004)