Abstract
The following paper addresses a complex period in Argentine history spanning from the coup d’état against Juan Domingo Perón in 1955 to the onset of the last dictatorship, known as the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional, in 1976. It also explores the intricate role of the Catholic Church, which, with the latest development of religious historiography, has been acknowledged as a multifaceted, complex agent in a process of change where the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) seemed to disrupt the established order. Beyond the ecclesiastical hierarchy, which received the most attention from scholars, it encompasses other voices, such as priests, laypeople, and religious women. The primary objective is to examine how the Catholic Church interpreted the social, cultural, and political changes, as well as the conflicts of the 1960s and 1970s, in order to understand its internal diversity and how it was impacted by internal secularization, understood as the erosion of the legitimacy of religious authority.
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Notes
The grand theories of secularization once posited that modernity, understood as a process encompassing democratization, industrialization, urbanization, and literacy, and would lead to the gradual disappearance of religion or its influence in the public sphere. This would also result in religion retreating to the private sphere and a disenchantment of the world (Weber 1983, 2002). Secularization was considered an “inevitable” and “natural” process in Western societies, where, following medieval Christendom, religion withdrew into the intimate domain. However, the persistence of religion in public life, the multidimensionalitiy of secularization (Dobbelaere, 1994), and the emergence of new religious movements challenged these grand theories. In a seminal work within the field of religious studies, José Casanova (2000) identifies three related but independent elements in secularization theories: (1) the distinction of spheres and the increasing emancipation of religious norms and institutions, (2) the privatization of religion as a normative condition or precondition of liberal democratic politics, and (3) the decline of religious practices and beliefs. While the elements outlined in (1) and (3) can still be sociologically supported, point (2) is historically and factually refutable, meaning it is impossible to deny the growing presence of religion in the public sphere. The de-privatization of religion would not refute the general thesis of secularization, as the transition to the common sphere can occur in ways consistent with the fundamental requirements of modern society. The privatization of religion, once considered a pillar of secularization, is not essential to modernity because what matters is how religion becomes public. Asad (2003) emphasizes that when religion becomes an integral part of modern politics, it is not indifferent to how the economy should be managed, which scientific projects should be financially supported by the state, or the goals of the national education system.
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Pattin, S. The Catholic Effervescence: Catholic Church, Society and Politics in Argentina between 1955 and 1976. Int J Lat Am Relig 7, 409–425 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41603-023-00220-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41603-023-00220-x