
In Search of an American Catholicism
A History of Religion and Culture in Tension
Jay P. Dolan(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 5. September 2002
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-19-506926-6 (ISBN)
Description
From the earliest days of the Republic, American Catholics have experienced dual allegiances - to the Church and to a nation whose culture was sometimes shaped by religious values, but often at odds with them. In this highly accessible and sympathetic history, the distinguished Catholic historian Jay Dolan follows the way American Catholicism has taken its distinctive shape and examines the complex identity of Catholics in the United States.
The book focuses on American Catholics during three specific periods: the republican period (1780-1820), when the idea of democracy, based on the principles of the American Revolution, filtered into the Catholic community and changed the way that Catholics thought and acted; the beginnings of the modern industrial era (1880-1920), when Catholics began to leave the cultural and intellectual cocoon of the immigrant Church and to explore the intellectual frontiers of the new age; and finally, during the contemporary period (1960 and beyond), when the Catholic Church responded to the social, cultural, and intellectual forces of the period with the reforms of the Vatican II movement, while at the same time recognising the strength and vitality gained from the cultural and ethnic diversity of its adherents.
The book focuses on American Catholics during three specific periods: the republican period (1780-1820), when the idea of democracy, based on the principles of the American Revolution, filtered into the Catholic community and changed the way that Catholics thought and acted; the beginnings of the modern industrial era (1880-1920), when Catholics began to leave the cultural and intellectual cocoon of the immigrant Church and to explore the intellectual frontiers of the new age; and finally, during the contemporary period (1960 and beyond), when the Catholic Church responded to the social, cultural, and intellectual forces of the period with the reforms of the Vatican II movement, while at the same time recognising the strength and vitality gained from the cultural and ethnic diversity of its adherents.
Reviews / Votes
... a series of graceful essays ... an engaging overview of American Catholic history as well as a generally successful attempt to interpret that history in dialectical relationship with the broader course of the development of US institutions and ideologies. Journal of American Studies ... ideal as an introduction to the main issues and characters in American Catholic history. The Journal of American HistoryMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
24 halftones
ISBN-13
978-0-19-506926-6 (9780195069266)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

DOLAN JAY P
In Search of an American Catholicism A History of Religion and Culture in Tension
A History of Religion and Culture in Tension
E-Book
11/2003
1st Edition
Oxford University Press
€26.69
Available for download

E-Book
09/2002
1st Edition
Oxford University Press, USA
€8.39
Available for download