Author Archives: Michelle Martins

In the last chapter of God in Chinatown, Guest presents us with five conclusions that he has come to through his ethnographic research. These conclusions are that Fuzhounese religious communities are a location for mobilizing social capital, hierarchies of class … Continue reading →

An important point that is made in this reading is the recognition that transnationalism is not a new movement as many people argue and believe, but rather it has always been prevalent and is just seen more now than ever … Continue reading →

Times have changed…..or have they? Everyone knows about the racial prejudice that African Americans faced in our country for such a long time, but are people aware that racial prejudice still exists today. Today most people think that the society … Continue reading →

The concept of a way of the cross procession being acted out isn’t that new to me. Growing up a Portuguese Catholic has given me the opportunity to witness several Viacrucis processions, in fact I’ve actually gotten the opportunity to … Continue reading →

After reading Orsi’s novel, it’s hard to believe that the Italians of East Harlem would ever welcome another group into their feast of Mount Carmel, but they in fact did. However, it is important to note that the Italians were … Continue reading →

After our discussion of the first chapters of Orsi’s book I was left with the notion that the women’s role in Italian Harlem was a weak one; that they were often seen as inferior to men. Because of this initial … Continue reading →

“The homes of Italian Harlem had been scrubbed clean, the windows had been washed and the floor polished. Residents had bought and cooked special foods in anticipation of the arrival of their guests.” (1) Someone reading this now would think … Continue reading →