Paper short abstract:

Pentecostalism has a global character, but the local dimension is crucial in migration processes. In fact, churches support migrants’ paths of rooting in new urban spaces. I analyse the role of Romanian Pentecostal churches in two neighbourhoods of an Italian city and in Romanian cities of departure

Paper long abstract:

In this paper, I analyse the complex relationship between Pentecostal religion and urban spaces. I focus on the study of Romanian migrants in the city of Turin in north-western Italy and in two cities of origin in north-eastern Romania. While much of the anthropological literature on Pentecostalism emphasizes its de-territorialized character and its ability to reinforce global memberships that do not attach importance to specific places, I adopt a different perspective. Instead, I emphasize the crucial role of the territorial dimension, as migrants take root in specific neighbourhoods because of their religious beliefs. They domesticate these areas by building places of worship and performing ritual acts in public spaces. I examine two churches built in very different neighbourhoods: one in a multi-ethnic area in an extremely poor environment and another in a central district inhabited by a more affluent population. The members of these churches have special relationships with other residents and the churches play a special role in the symbolic and socio-economic fabric of their respective neighbourhoods. In the next part of my analysis, I examine two Pentecostal churches in Turin's migrant outmigration sites that have emerged through economic and social remittances and are led by pastors who are themselves returning migrants. These churches reshape both physical and symbolic spaces in those districts where they are and play a fundamental role in redefining the relationships between returnees and non-migrants.