The Catholic Church and Power Politics in Latin America; The Dominican Case in comparative Perspective

Lanham, MD: Roman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2007. Presumed First Paperback Edition, First printing. Trade paperback. Very good/No DJ issued. xvi, 275, [1] pages. List of Abbreviations. Illustrations (Figures and Tables). Bibliography. Index. About the Author. Inscribed by the author on the half-title page. Inscription reads for Lou and Pat, in appreciation for your welcoming generosity to Gettysburg many year ago. Un abrazo. Emelio Betances Gettysburg, PA Jan 7, 2011. Cover has slight wear and soiling. Dr. Betances is on the faculty of Gettysburg College. He received the 2009 National Book Award in the category of Scientific Essay granted (2010) by the Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic for The Catholic Church and Power Politics in Latin America: the Dominican Case in Comparative Perspective also published in Spanish in Santo Domingo, 2009. Dr. Betances has written that "I use the Dominican Republic as a case study to reflect on issues of social development, state formation, religion, politics, social movements, citizenship, and democracy. My explorations of Dominican society began with a monograph on State and Society in the Dominican Republic, an essay that provides an interpretation of Dominican society through the 19th and 20th centuries. As a follow up to this research, in collaboration with Dr. Hobard Spalding, I edited The Dominican Republic Today, a book that explains the transformation of Dominican society in the 1980s. I also published The Catholic Church and Power Politics in Latin America: The Dominican Case in Comparative Perspectives. This monograph examines the role of the Catholic Church in political mediation in five Latin American nations. Since the 1960s, the Catholic Church has acted as a mediator during social and political change in many Latin American countries, especially the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. Although the Catholic clergy was called in during political crises in all five countries, the situation in the Dominican Republic was especially notable because the Church's role as mediator was eventually institutionalized. Because the Dominican state was persistently weak, the Church was able to secure the support of the Balaguer regime (1966-1978) and ensure social and political cohesion and stability. Emelio Betances analyzes the particular circumstances that allowed the Church in the Dominican Republic to accommodate the political and social establishment; the Church offered non-partisan political mediation, rebuilt its ties with the lower echelons of society, and responded to the challenges of the evangelical movement. The author's historical examination of church-state relations in the Dominican Republic leads to important regional comparisons that broaden our understanding of the Catholic Church in the whole of Latin America.