rg st 71 final review

ethnogenesis

The birth of a new group identity; for Japanese Americans, their distinct history functionally begins with the shared trauma of WWII internment

model minority

A culturally hegemonic myth suggesting Asians are naturally inclined to excel in STEM/education, often used to dismiss the need for social support for other minorities

perpetual foreigner

A stereotype viewing Asian Americans as "strangers" regardless of birth, historically rooted in the 19th-century "Yellow Peril" fear

sacred history

The re-narration of a community's past to provide orientation and meaning; for Japanese Americans, internment is the transcendent "time of trial" that defines their identity

buddhist protestantization

The adaptation of Japanese American Buddhist churches to American institutional forms (e.g., Sunday schools, Boy Scouts) to appear more "American".

pervasive hinduism (sarvavyāpidharma)

South Asian concepts like karma, yoga, and reincarnation that have become pervasive in U.S. culture outside their original religious context.

satyāgraha

"Holding firmly to truth"; a principle of non-violent resistance used to transform both the oppressor and the oppressed through moral witness.

ahimsa

The fundamental moral principle of non-violence; it is viewed not just as a strategy, but as standing on the principle of love

upavāsa

Traditionally "dwelling near" the divine (fasting); in activism, it uses the body as a site of power to demonstrate commitment and force action against injustice.

spirituality of seeking

A post-1965 trend where individuals negotiate truth across various traditions, rather than inhabiting a single institution ("Spirituality of Dwelling").

the new spirituality

A religious trend prioritizing individualism, eclecticism, and pragmatism; often described as "Spiritual But Not Religious" (SBNR).

authentic fake

Non-religious or commercial things that "do the work of religion" by providing participants with genuine experiences of belonging, ritual, and identity.

tav tvam asi

"You are that"; the Advaita Vedanta realization that the individual self (atman) and the highest metaphysical reality (Brahman) are one.

Nestorian christianity (jingjiao)

The "Luminous Religion"; Syrian and Persian Christian traditions that flourished in Asia and were not dependent on Western philosophy

nestorian stele

A stone monument discovered in China (dated 781 AD) documenting the early Christian presence using Buddhist and Daoist terms.

hansen’s law

The "Principle of Third Generation Interest"; posits that "what the son wishes to forget, the grandson wishes to remember" regarding immigrant heritage.

the silent exodus

The phenomenon where second-generation Asian Americans leave their parents' immigrant churches because they find them culturally stifling or irrelevant.

two-party protestantism

The division of American Protestantism into Mainline Protestants (social reform focus) and Evangelicals (individual salvation focus).

contextual theology

The practice of making Christian symbols and beliefs meaningful for a specific community by addressing their unique social and historical predicaments.

syncretism

The merging of different religions, often viewed negatively by institutional authorities as a form of "contamination".

pre-tridentine catholicism

Forms of Catholicism common in the Philippines that reflect practices from before the Council of Trent, featuring heavy Marian devotion and folk practices.

balut (as metaphor)

A fertilized duck egg used as a metaphor for Filipino religion; its "normal" exterior hides an interior that doesn't fit Orientalist expectations of what is "Asian".

culinary orientalism

The expression of Orientalist desires and fears through food, viewing "ethnic" food as a resource for novelty or "culinary tourism".

theoplacity

The construction of authenticity through place; when a restaurant's ambiance and actions satisfy a diner's Orientalist expectations.

chinese food continuum

The concept that Asian food in the U.S. becomes less popular or palatable the further it deviates from Chinese ingredients and cooking methods.

classical christian theology

A rational system (or "architecture") produced by professional theologians, used as a tool of institutional control to protect correct belief and reveal heresy.

fides quarens intellectum

Latin for "faith seeking understanding"; it describes the classical view of theology as a wall used to keep correct beliefs in and "heresy" out.

contextual christian theology

he practice of making Christian symbols and beliefs meaningful for a specific community (e.g., Black, Feminist, or Asian American) by addressing their unique social predicaments.

preferential option for the poor

A principle from Vatican II and Latin American Liberation Theology stating that God is not neutral but responds specifically to the needs of the oppressed.

latin american liberation theology

A movement (1971) that views the poor as the "suffering Christ" and argues that God works to save people from earthly oppression

black theology

Posited by James Cone; argues that Jesus is a human being specifically for oppressed persons and that the task of theology is to "kill gods" that don't belong to the Black community.

the “kernel and husk” problem

The theological dilemma where the "kernel" is the true religion and the "husk" is the outer layer of culture and language that can be stripped away.

indigenization

Presenting Christianity using the language and forms of a non-Christian culture, transforming the religion into a local, cultural form.

inculturation

The appropriation of a target culture’s myths and symbols by reinterpreting them as Christian for the purposes of conversion.

syncretism (as “tertium quid”)

The merging of religions into a "third thing"; institutional authorities often view this negatively as a form of "contamination".

tita aida (“auntie AIDS”)

A concept from Paul Pfeiffer’s artwork where the Madonna and the HIV virus merge to represent a single force of both protection and destruction.

thealogy

A term used by Rita Nakashima Brock to describe a feminist approach to the divine, often incorporating Asian religious elements to create a distinct Asian American Christianity.

sojourner workers

Pre-1965 immigrants who intended to work in the U.S. temporarily to send money home, often resulting in "incomplete communities" of mostly young men.

resilient silence

A strategy of resistance where Japanese Americans use religious, artistic, or political silence to recall past resistance and preserve their community's energy.

civil religion (ambiance)

The ambivalent stance Japanese Americans hold toward American Civil Religion; for them, internment is the defining "time of trial" that provides their communal orientation.

sacred history

The construction of a past that provides a community with meaning and hope; for Japanese Americans, this history functionally begins with the camps.

literary hinduism

An elite, text-centered reception of Hinduism in the U.S. (e.g., Transcendentalism) that searched for the "authenticity" of ancient forms.

theosophy

Organized in 1875 to promote "Universal Brotherhood" and study Eastern religions, laying the groundwork for the modern "New Age" movement.

pantañjali’s yoga sutra

An ancient text (2nd century) used by modern teachers to argue that yoga is a system to "still the mind" to see one's true form.

enlightened body-self

The belief that a perfected physical body indicates inward spiritual perfection; it uses practices like yoga as a shortcut to transcendence.

guru-shishya relationship

A traditional, non-democratic lineage transmission from teacher to student that requires absolute devotion.

updating the oriental monk

The hypothesis that modern South Asian gurus (like Deepak Chopra) gain legitimacy by wrapping Hindu ideas in Western medicine.

pacific latinos

The suggestion that Filipinos are perceived and treated as Latino due to shared Spanish colonial history and Catholicism.

downward intergenerational mobility

The phenomenon where U.S.-born Filipinos are less likely to have degrees than their immigrant parents, defying the "model minority" myth.

coercive mimeticism

The social expectation that Asian Americans conform to stereotypes to be seen as "authentic," often forcing them to perform "Asian-ness" for a white audience.

Jonathan gold’s “anti-melting pot”

The idea that ethnic restaurants are specialized locations that resist assimilation and serve as exclusive spaces for the community.

life cycle of the ethnic church (Mullins): stage I

Emphasis on cultural heritage and dominated by the Asian language.

life cycle of the ethnic church (Mullins): stage II

The rise of the American-born second generation, leading to a bilingual strategy to keep both generations together.

life cycle of the ethnic church (Mullins): stage III

The passing of the immigrant generation; the church must "de-ethnicize" or die as the second generation assimilates.