Social Movements and Catholic Social Thought

The sociology of Catholicism: A review of research and scholarship

“…In this regard, students of Catholicism would do well to pay more attention to bringing Catholicism into dialogue with other disciplinary subfields that often talk past one another. Although previous studies bring Catholicism into contact with subfields such as the sociology of social movements (e.g., Coleman, 2013; Pogorelc, 2011; Summers Effler, 2010), there is scope for greater intra‐discipline contact with others such as the sociology of digital technology. Although some Catholic‐specific studies of this topic exist (e.g., MacMillen, 2011), we still know relatively little about how Catholics engage, interpret and respond to such things as prayer apps, online Masses and pilgrimages, social media and other online spaces as bolstering (or eroding) influences on their subjective faith in local parishes.…”

“…It channels money, staff and other resources into some of the world's most distressing situations. Although some studies of entities like this exist (e.g., Cherry, 2014; Coleman, 2013; Della Cava, 1993, 1997), more light could be shed on how Catholic aid organizations mobilize transnationally to provide a range of public goods and how these local contexts in turn influence global religious activism. Comparisons of Catholic transnationalism with that of other religious traditions are also badly needed (e.g., Della Cava, 2001; Menjívar, 1999), facilitating closer analysis of the impact of teachings and institutional structures across religious groups (Altinordu, 2013).…”