Social Mobility and The Christian Faith of Second-generation Nigerians
Articulating faith: Christian beliefs and practices of second-generation Nigerians in London
This article explores the everyday religious lives of young Africans in Britain, arguing that Christian faith influences different areas of their lives, offers guidance and impacts integration into British society. Religious lessons provide tools for understanding and drawing intra-racial and inter-racial boundaries and help manage racism, build broad interracial networks and attain socioeconomic progress. Nigerian traditional behavioural codes learnt from the family and the wider community provide additional support on ways of achieving positive economic outcomes.
10/7/20251 min read
Religious socialization by parents, which encourages religious participation and affiliation, as well as family upbringing that instils values like educational success, hard work, resilience and respect, shape the everyday lives of second-generation Africans. This is an ongoing discourse and the growth of Pentecostal Christianity within African communities in western societies is an important part of that discourse. This paper looks through the lens of second-generation Nigerians to explore Christian faith and its role in everyday life within multicultural Britain, thereby contributing to the wider debate on the religion and identity of minorities. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and diaries written by a sub-sample of participants, this study found that Christian faith offers guidance and influences participation and settlement among second-generation Nigerians in Britain. Religious lessons provide tools for understanding and drawing intra-racial and inter-racial boundaries while values like patience, tolerance and good sociability help individuals manage workplace racism, build broad interracial networks and progress socioeconomically.
