Religious Movements to the Rescue in Transit? Exploring the Role of the Church of Pentecost in the Lives of Ghanaian Immigrants in Istanbul

This exploratory article uses qualitative data to critically document how social networks developed around the Church of Pentecost (CoP) Istanbul, and how the ensuing social capital accumulation has somewhat played significant roles in the lives of Ghanaian immigrants in a transit environment, Istanbul (Turkey). The paper argues that with immigrants caught within webs of unreceptive and strict legal environments, socio-economic, moral, psychological, identity, and spiritual struggles in the host country, these Churches, such as the CoP Istanbul, have somewhat become crucial resource pools that immigrants, be they irregular, regular or so-called 'transit migrants' and asylum-seekers, draw on to provide solutions to these quotidian existential problems. The findings documented herein enrich the African Diaspora and religious movements' literature, illuminating how these movements shape immigrants' lives in transit destinations like Turkey.

本探索性研究采用定性数据，批判性地记录了围绕五旬节教会（Church of Pentecost，简称CoP）伊斯坦布尔堂区形成的社交网络，以及由此产生的社会资本积累在中转环境土耳其伊斯坦布尔的加纳移民生活中已在一定程度上发挥了重要作用。该研究指出，当移民深陷于东道国严苛且不包容的法律环境，以及社会经济、道德、心理、身份认同与精神层面的多重困境时，诸如五旬节教会伊斯坦布尔堂区这类宗教团体，已在一定程度上成为关键的资源储备库——无论移民是非法居留、合法居留，还是所谓的"中转移民"与寻求庇护者，均可借助其解决上述日常生存难题。本文记录的研究发现丰富了非洲散居群体与宗教运动相关的研究文献，阐明了此类宗教运动如何在土耳其这类中转目的地塑造移民的生活轨迹。