Images of the urban religious landscape: Gen Z seek out the sacred in the city

ABSTRACT

In spite of growing attention among geographers to the diversity of religious spaces, young adults’ perceptions of such sites and their relevance in contemporary society remain relatively under-researched. In response, this article focuses on Generation Z undergraduates’ conceptualizations of religious space and engagement with broader questions pertaining to the sacralization of urban sites. The students identified a wide range of urban sites beyond places of worship as religious—including murals, storefronts, sidewalk decorations and tattoos – and in the process revealed the pervasiveness of religion and religious spaces, thereby uncovering some new possible directions for geographical inquiry. Moreover, they shared their attitudes regarding contested issues like gentrification and the commodification of religious symbols, and in relation the place of religion in contemporary society. By gaining such a glimpse into the worldviews of Generation Z, we may develop a better understanding of the ways that they perceive religious space and its relevance to urban life.

KEYWORDS:

• Religion
• cultural geography
• religious space
• Generation Z
• emerging adults

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the students who consented to their photo essay’s inclusion in the research, the two anonymous reviewers and the journal's editor for their discerning comments and suggestions, and Euan Hague for helping conceptualize the photo essay assignment.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 American Atheists, Inc. v. Port Authority of N.Y. & N.J., No. 13–1668 (2nd Cir. 2014).

2 Generally referring to those born between approximately 1996 and 2016 (Percy 2019).

3 Disused or converted structures were coded differently.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maxim G. M. Samson

Maxim G. M. Samson is an adjunct professor in the Department of Geography at DePaul University, specializing in the geographies of religion. He also acts as the Vice-Chair and Secretary of the Geography of Religion and Belief Systems (GORABS) international specialty research group, linked to the American Association of Geographers (AAG).

James G. Leichty

James G. Leichty is a senior at DePaul University, where he majors in Political Science and minors in Classical Studies and Geography.