Manuel Vasquez
Associate Professor, University of Florida
Neikirk Term Professor (2002-03)
Tel.
352.392.1625
e-mail: mvasquez@religion.ufl.edu
“For those of us interested in the religions of contemporary migrants, it is precisely the ‘little religions’ that matter. We focus on the grassroots devotions, the syncretic rituals and beliefs that cannot be defined in terms of the sacred-profane dichotomy, and the embodied religious images, myths, and narratives that migrants perform in their day-to-day existence as they attempt to negotiate the perils of life in both their adopted country and their country of origin.”
Areas of expertise
- Religion in Latin America and among U.S. Latinos
- Religion and post-1965 migration to the United States
- The interaction between religion and globalization
Topics in the News
- National discussion of "moral values"
- Proposals to grant legal status to immigrants now in the U.S.
- The Latino vote
- Hispanics as the nation's largest minority group
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Manuel A. Vasquez is a leading expert on how Latino immigration is changing the United States. He is co-directing (with Philip J. Williams) a study on religious pluralism, identity, and transnational migration among Brazilians, Mexicans, and Guatemalans in Florida, with a particular focus on how immigrants use religious resources in their everyday life. Recent trends in Latino migration are transforming the social and cultural landscape in Florida, a state that has become a bellwether for the rest of the nation. The rapid growth of Latino populations among predominantly Euroamerican communities unaccustomed to migration is generating conflicts with important consequences for civic life in the state, particularly for the political integration or marginalization of Latino immigrants. Manuel’s research explores the role of religious ideas, practices, and institutions in resolving or exacerbating these conflicts. He serves on the executive council of the Association for the Sociology of Religion and is a member of the working group on religion and transnational migration at the Social Science Research Council.
- Globalizing the Sacred: Religion Across the Americas (Rutgers University Press, 2003)
- Christianity, Social Change, and Globalization in the Americas (Rutgers University Press, 2001), co-editor
- The Brazilian Popular Church and the Crisis of Modernity (Cambridge University Press, 1998)
- Sun-Sentinel, May 27, 2007, Moved by the Spirit; Hispanics Drawn to Festive Worship Fuel Rise of Charismatic Church Services
- Minnesota Public Radio, May 14, 2007, Latinos, religion and change
- Christian Science Monitor, May 9, 2007, Pope Visits Waning Latin American Flock
- Boston Globe, March 6, by Charlie Savage, " Hispanic Evangelical Offering GOP A Bridge to Future; Sees Undocumented as Potential Citizens, Republican Voters"
- News-Press.com, November 21, 2004 "Living
the American Dream"
- MSNBC, July 13, 2004 "Mormon
conversions surge in Latin America"
- Miami
Herald, April 19, 2004 “Boy Evangelist Spreads the Word”
- Sun-Sentinel, January 12, 2003 “Converts Discover Refuge;
Former Catholic Latinos Find Aid, Intimate Worship In Protestant Churches”
Manuel Vasquez has also been interviewed by the National Catholic Reporter and National Public Radio.
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