African diasporas in Australia: Christianity and the complicated matter of trust

Abstract

Christianity plays a foundational role in many communities in sub-Saharan Africa. As migrants from the African continent arrive in Australia, the usual roles of religion (i.e., connecting to the spiritual world and strengthening community) become even more pronounced. Churches become trusted support institutions for settlement. Here, we consider the complexities of trust for Christian African migrants as they negotiate settlement in Australia. For them, relationships of trust within their own communities and with Australian society at large are situated, ambivalent, and contingent. Indeed, for this cohort, trust is both powerful and fragile. We argue that in order to overcome the uncertainties of life, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, they mobilise Christianity as a way of establishing trust. Overall, this paper calls for greater scholarly attention to how relationships of trust are established and negotiated in daily life among migrants, and particularly to the role of religion in this process.