Conclusion

Abstract

This chapter summarizes the argument made in the preceding chapters and discusses what it means for religious membership to serve as a basis of social trust, and specifically personal trust enacted within social relationships. It then takes on the question of whether religious membership is ultimately helpful for immigrant integration, a major long-running debate among sociologists. It argues that while there is some evidence that religious membership in an ethnic church can detract from integration, ultimately there is much more evidence to support the opposite conclusion. Furthermore, many of the processes that seem to fuel segregation are in fact the result of inequality and the racial order, which challenge the ability of religious membership to realize its integrative potential. As a result, for transnational Ghanaians, religious memberships and their associated trust networks are generally helpful for the integration process; but not even as much as they could be, or as much as these particular immigrants would like.