This innovative and interesting book offers a new perspective on Catholicism and politics in Southern Europe, using a comparative sociology, especially via its focus on the discreet mediation role played by some Catholic actors and on the internal pluralism of the Roman Catholic Church.
Joxerramon Bengoetxea, University of the Basque Country
Among the huge academic literature it has inspired there is actually and paradoxically little research on the Catholic Church, and even less on its grassroots social influence. Through in-depth fieldwork in Italy, in the north and south of the Basque Country and in Aquitaine, Xabier Itaina sheds new light on the contemporary silent resilience of Catholic social networks. This book is an original and much-needed tool for re-assessing the role of the Catholic Church in Europe.
Olivier Roy, European University Institute
Contributing to the (growing but still limited) field of study on the interaction between politics and religion, this book singles out an important and unexplored topic in the less dramatic expressions of the impact of religious actors within modern societies. Going beyond rational choice approaches as well as the consideration of religion as irrational, Xabier Itaina convincingly develops a very nuanced analysis of religion as embedded in complex institutional fields, with areas of overlap with institutional actors but also with social movements. The cross-national and sub-national comparison of various forms of Catholicism allows investigating in depth the norms of religious practices.
Donatella della Porta, Scuola Normale Superiore
Catholic Mediations in Southern Europe
Investigating the role played by religious actors in socio-political issues as a manifestation of the invisible politics of religion, this book concentrates on the social economy, support to migrants, the fight against social exclusion and pacifist campaigns, where religious actors have played discreet but structuring roles.
In the European context, politico-religious matters have been reduced in two ways: first, a reduction of identity with religion being transformed into a heritage in the form of a minimal sense of belonging; and second, the media focus on the most fundamentalist currents within all religions. This book responds by proposing an alternative perspective with a focus on Southern European Catholicism and a comparison between Italian, Spanish and French subnational territories. In a period of polarized relations between religion and politics, there is a Catholic action repertoire which avoids this binary confrontation and which, in contrast, is characterized by its mediating dimension. The Catholic mediation repertoire receives little publicity and is expressed in a discreet but structuring way to address different public problems.
An important contribution to the literature, this book will interest scholars and upper-level students working on religion and politics, mediation and peace studies, local policy-making and comparative approaches to Southern European society and politics.
Xabier Itaina is a CNRS Research Director in political sociology at Sciences Po Bordeaux (France), and director of the Centre Emile Durkheim (UMR5116 CNRS, Sciences Po Bordeaux, University of Bordeaux). He was a Marie Curie Fellow at the European University in Florence in 20122013. His research is concerned with three areas: Catholicism and politics in Southern Europe; social economy and territorial development in Southern Europe; and the political anthropology of territorial identities.
Routledge Studies in Religion and Politics
Edited by Jeffrey Haynes
London Metropolitan University, UK
This series aims to publish high-quality works on the topic of the resurgence of political forms of religion in both national and international contexts. This trend has been especially noticeable in the post-Cold War era (that is, since the late 1980s). It has affected all the world religions (including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism) in various parts of the world (such as the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, South and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa).
The series welcomes books that use a variety of approaches to the subject, drawing on scholarship from political science, international relations, security studies and contemporary history.
Books in the series explore these religions, regions and topics both within and beyond the conventional domain of ChurchState relations to include the impact of religion on politics, conflict and development, including the late Samuel Huntingtons controversial yet influential thesis about clashing civilizations.
In sum, the overall purpose of the book series is to provide a comprehensive survey of what is currently happening in relation to the interaction of religion and politics, both domestically and internationally, in relation to a variety of issues.
For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/Routledge-Studies-in-Religion-and-Politics/book-series/RSRP.
Religious NGOs at the United Nations
Polarizers or Mediators?
Edited by Claudia Baumgart-Ochse and Klaus Dieter Wolf
Catholic Mediations in Southern Europe
The Invisible Politics of Religion
Xabier Itaina
Catholic Mediations in Southern Europe
The Invisible Politics of Religion
Xabier Itaina
First published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
2019 Xabier Itaina
The right of Xabier Itaina to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Itaina, Xabier, author.
Title: Catholic mediations in southern Europe : the invisible politics of religion / Xabier Itaina.
Description: 1 [edition]. | New York : Routledge, 2018. |
Series: Routledge studies in religion and politics | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018036719 | ISBN 9781138337466 (hardback) | ISBN 9780429442360 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Christianity and politicsCatholic Church. | Catholic ChurchEurope. | Catholic ChurchInfluence. | Europe.
Classification: LCC BX1490 .I83 2018 | DDC 282/.4dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018036719
ISBN: 9781138337466 (hbk)
ISBN: 9780429442360 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Out of House Publishing
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Contents
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