Abstract
An authentic religious community may function as a stabilizing and ordering device for people living in a refugee camp. This article examines this phenomenon in a Cuban refugee camp. The Cuban refugees described left one social structure but were not incorporated into a new one. After a prolonged period of liminality, hopelessness, aggression, and self-destructive behavior characterized the general population. Religious community countered the destructive aspects of the liminal experience by giving participating refugees an informal social structure and a sense of hope. Victor Turner's concept of ritual process serves as an interpretive model. The findings of this study have important missiological implications for those who work with refugees or other displaced populations.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.