ABSTRACT

Religion has served as the symbol of unity for various groups of people throughout history. For many, adverse conditions or a hostile environment have acted to bring about a close adherence to religious principles in order to adapt, accept, and survive. The urban environment is both hostile and yet filled with opportunity for those seeking change or success. Church and Neighborhood by Edward Kantowicz examines the residential choice of various segments of the Chicago populace. Kantowicz finds that this choice was based upon church affiliation. In Chicago the church was a local neighborhood institution. Irish Catholics lived in St. Gertrude's or St. Lucy's parish. Polish Catholics were concentrated in the area of St. Stanislaus Kostka. These Chicago Catholic parishes defined the political and social life of the surrounding neighborhoods well into the 1960s. Kantowicz demonstrates that religion was the single most important factor in the locus of neighborhood political power.