Article in Press
This article is currently in the Just Accepted phase. The final published version may have formatting changes or additional corrections.
Abstract
My theoretical framework seeks to articulate the dynamics of modernity in the european urban space, the processes of diversification, individualization of religion and secularization with issues connected to the religious dimension among Nepali migrants living in Lisbon’s Metropolitan Area (AML). I begin with a research question on whether the categories included in the 2021 Census (INE, 2022) and in the Religious Identities and Social Dynamics Survey in the AML (Teixeira, 2019) are valid, or not, to describe the Nepali migration in the AML. Ie, I inquire about the gap in research concerning the diversity of religious belongings by South Asian migrants. I qualitatively analyze the data collected from sociodemographic characterization questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with 30 Nepali female migrants (1st and 2nd generation) in the AML – examining the religious dimension and the secular stance subcategory, in particular. In addition to data collected from ethnographic research, participant observation and the field diary. The results obtained demonstrate the religious diversity of the Nepali diaspora, the practice of domestic rituals, as well as the overlapping practices linked to different religions. They also show that the categories of both the 2021 Census and the 2019 Survey are not suitable to research and adequately describe the identities and religious practices of the Nepali migration in the AML.
