Assimilate for God: The Impact of Religious Divisions on Danish American Communities

Jeanet Bentzen, Nina Boberg-Fazlić, Paul Sharp, Christian Volmar Skovsgaard and Christian Vedel
Additional contact information
Nina Boberg-Fazlić: TU Dortmund University, CEPR
Christian Volmar Skovsgaard: University of Southern Denmark

No 253, Working Papers from European Historical Economics Society (EHES)

Abstract: The cultural assimilation of immigrants into the host society is often equated with prospects for economic success, with religion seen as a potential barrier. We investigate the role of ethnic enclaves and churches for the assimilation of Danish Americans using a difference-indifferences setting. Following the ordination of a divisive religious figure in 1883, this otherwise small and homogeneous group split into rival Lutheran revivalist camps - so-called “Happy” and “Holy” Danes. The former sought the preservation of Danish culture and tradition, while the latter encouraged assimilation. We use data from the US census and Danish American church and newspaper archives, and find that Danish Americans living in a county with a “Happy” church chose more Danish names for their children. Newspapers read by “Holy Danes” saw a more rapid Anglicization of the language used. Religious beliefs thus facilitated assimilation. Divergence in behaviour only emerged following the religious division.

Keywords: Assimilation; Danish Americans; enclaves; immigration; religion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 J61 N31 N32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 48 pages
Date: 2024-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his, nep-inv, nep-mig and nep-ure
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https://www.ehes.org/wp/EHES_253.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Assimilate for God: The Impact of Religious Divisions on Danish American Communities (2024)
Working Paper: Assimilate for God: The Impact of Religious Divisions on Danish American Communities (2024)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hes:wpaper:0253

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