A Particular Place
Urban Restructuring and Religious Ecology in a Southern Exurb
Rutgers University Press
A Particular Place tells the story of the dramatic changes that take place in the religious lives of a community faced with urban restructuring—in this case, Dacula, Georgia, a once-quiet small town on the outskirts of Atlanta. The demographics of Dacula were changed dramatically by the population inflow, service sector development, and housing expansion brought on by the growing metropolis.
Nancy L. Eiesland provides a qualitative study of how the local religious congregations altered themselves, their relations with one another, and—over time—their community in light of this disruption to their social order. Eiesland accounts for these changes by examining the lives of area newcomers and long-time residents, discussing the responses of locals to the emergence of a megachurch in their community, investigating the wrenching processes of congregational birth and deaths, and studying responses to community conflicts.Applying population ecology approaches to the study of religious organizations within their local contexts, A Particular Place addresses together two types of restructuring that are often mutually implicated—urban and religious restructuring. This book demonstrates all that can be learned from studious attention to a particular place.
Nancy L. Eiesland is assistant professor of the sociology of religion at Candler School of Theology and the Graduate Division of Religion at Emory University. She is the co-editor of Contemporary American Religion: An Ethnographic Reader.
Tables and Figures
Preface
Chapter 1. Changing Places: Urban and Religious Restructuring
Chapter 2. "The Way It Looks from Here": Dacula, Georgia
Chapter 3. A Place to Be Religious: Organizing Ecological Change
Chapter 4. New Neighbors: A Congregation in Transition
Chapter 5. Making Faith: Navigating within a Religious Ecology
Chapter 6. Fighting the Good Fight: An Ecological Perspective on Local Conflict
Chapter 7. Concluding Remarks
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Preface
Chapter 1. Changing Places: Urban and Religious Restructuring
Chapter 2. "The Way It Looks from Here": Dacula, Georgia
Chapter 3. A Place to Be Religious: Organizing Ecological Change
Chapter 4. New Neighbors: A Congregation in Transition
Chapter 5. Making Faith: Navigating within a Religious Ecology
Chapter 6. Fighting the Good Fight: An Ecological Perspective on Local Conflict
Chapter 7. Concluding Remarks
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index
