ABSTRACT
The migration vignettes briefly presented in the introductory chapter serve a few key purposes. We see, of course, something of the diversity of faiths that migrants carry with them, and we also see how these faiths come into play in the migration and settlement experience, a topic explored much more fully in Chapter Three. We are also introduced to four young people who, along with their families, will try their best in their coming years to carve out new spaces of integration within their new society for a meaningful existence and a meaningful identity. They are each likely to encounter barriers to integration along the way. To what degree will religion be among these barriers? Conversely, to what degree will religion act as a pathway toward their integration? Addressing this question is no easy task, and I try in this chapter to begin the discussion with an investigation of fundamental principles within the liberal democratic state that have a significant influence over how religion is viewed with respect to the construction and preservation of autonomy. The reader will see that there is a special emphasis in this chapter and within the book on nature and role of autonomy. The focus on autonomy is of interest with respect to religion, religious identity, and schooling, both in terms of protecting an individual from undue religious influence (vis-à-vis, for instance, Establishment Clause protections within the United States) and protecting the individual’s right to religious expression (through, for instance, Free Exercise protections).
