ANN: Religion and Culture in the Americas, February 5, 2021 presentation

Malachy R. McCarthy Discussion

Religion and Culture in the Americas Seminar

                                             February 5, 2021

3:00-4:30 pm Central Time

Held Virtually via Zoom / Register for link

 

“Strangers in Our Midst”: Mexican Agricultural Workers and Migrant Ministries in Wisconsin, 1942-1959, Sergio M. González, Marquette University

This paper examines hospitality practices in Catholic and Protestant migrant ministry programs in mid-twentieth century Wisconsin. Mexican-descent labor remade the economic landscape of the postwar Midwest as tens of thousands of families travelled seasonally from south Texas to the Great Lakes to pick and process produce in the region’s rapidly developing agricultural industry. While Tejano labor was essential for the survival of Wisconsin’s economy, many state residents viewed migrants’ extended presence in the state as a social and racial nuisance. This paper reveals how Tejano migrants, referred to as “strangers in our midst” by migrant ministers, found that inclusion in their local receiving communities was principally dependent on their output as laborers and their devotion to a particular Christian denomination.

 

 Community Values: Forging a Politics of Religious Liberalism in Small-Town U.S.A., 1960-1990, David Mislin

This paper chronicles how the liberal religious commitments of many small-town residents provided the basis for progressive activism. Challenging their conservative neighbors, these religious liberals demanded equitable treatment of migrant workers, established and sustained vital social services, and called attention to environmental degradation. In framing their progressive agenda in traditional moral language, they forged a particular variety of religious liberalism that reflected the unique realities of small-town life.

 

Respondent: Kristy Nabhan-Warren, University of Iowa

 

This event is free, but all participants must register in advance and space is limited. To register and request a copy of the pre-circulated paper, email: scholarlyseminars@newberry.org. Please do not request a paper unless you plan to attend.