Constructions of Pertenencia Fluyente: Latinx Religious Placemaking beyond Community & Belonging in the Midwest U.S.

Authors

Karla García, Macalester CollegeFollow

Abstract

How has the Latinx diaspora utilized the Catholic Church as a space to construct an environment of “home”? To answer this question, I draw upon five semi-structured ethnographic interviews conducted with parish members and leadership at the shared parish of San Miguel Arcángel, situated in the Upper Midwest. Understanding that community exists partly due to parish members' distinct methods of community cultivation over the last twenty years, I question if belonging inherently follows. Analysis of interview responses shows that community, belonging, and tensions coexist within the parish. Puerto Rican scholar Felix Padilla’s 1985 study utilizes the term “situational identity,” while Peruvian American scholar Suzanne Oboler labels this same shifting actuality of belonging and expendability as “temporary sense of belonging.” In employing the terms, Padilla and Oboler attempt to highlight how minoritized communities are at times belonging and at other moments seen as dispensable in the eyes of dominant society. The transient implications of these two terms do not fully encompass the multifaceted and fluctuating Latinx experience at the case study parish. The Latinx sector of the parish of San Miguel Arcángel has transcended the unequivocal understanding of community and belonging, breaking the norms of temporality. To better describe their unique experience, I propose the concept of “Pertenencia Fluyente” (in English: “Fluid Belonging”). Understanding how community manifests within Latinx religious institutions is a launching point for learning from each other and nurturing solidarity.

Author Biography

Karla García (ella/she/her) is a senior majoring in American studies and educational studies, pursuing minors in Spanish and creative writing at Macalester College. Born in the Midwest and a daughter of a Mexican immigrant, her studies aim to uplift the voices and experiences of the communities that foster her identity. Centering ethnographic work, García’s methodology aims to affirm the preeminent knowledge frameworks of BIPOC communities. Following graduation, she hopes to continue her research alongside Latinx communities in the Midwest as she pursues a PhD in American studies with an emphasis in Latinx studies.

Recommended Citation

García, Karla (2025) "Constructions of Pertenencia Fluyente: Latinx Religious Placemaking beyond Community & Belonging in the Midwest U.S.," Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities: Vol. 14: Iss. 1, Article 10.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/tapestries/vol14/iss1/10

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.