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The reach of the Catholic Church is arguably greater than that of any other religion, extending across diverse political, ethnic, class, and cultural boundaries. But what is it about Catholicism that resonates so profoundly with followers who live under disparate conditions? What is it, for instance, that binds parishioners in America with those in Mexico? For Joseph M. Palacios, what unites Catholics is a sense of being Catholic—a social imagination that motivates them to promote justice and build a better world. In The Catholic Social Imagination, Palacios gives readers a feeling for what it means to be Catholic and put one’s faith into action. Tracing the practices of a group of parishioners in Oakland, California, and another in Guadalajara, Mexico, Palacios reveals parallels—and contrasts—in the ways these ordinary Catholics receive and act on a church doctrine that emphasizes social justice. Whether they are building a supermarket for the low-income elderly or waging protests to promote school reform, these parishioners provide important insights into the construction of the Catholic social imagination. Throughout, Palacios also offers important new cultural and sociological interpretations of Catholic doctrine on issues such as poverty, civil and human rights, political participation, and the natural law.

Since the mid-1960s, immigrants to the United States have entered a social and political world with a legacy from the civil rights movements of African Americans and Latinos, farmworkers, women, and others that opened up American political culture to previously excluded citizens. Immigrants enter a world where, at least legally, there is an assumption of a liberal democracy that guarantees equality, opportunity, freedom of religion for all and voting rights based on citizen rights and obligations. But most immigrants come into the United States as precitizens and must wait to be fully naturalized as American citizens in order to fully

Religion has jumped into the sphere of global and domestic politics in ways that few would have imagined a century ago. Some expected that religion would die as modernity flourished. Instead, it now stares at us almost daily from the front pages of newspapers and television broadcasts. Although it is usually stories about the Christian Right or conservative Islam that grab headlines, there are many religious activists of other political persuasions that are working quietly for social justice. This book examines one segment of this group-those working for equitable treatment for immigrants in the United States. Bringing together thirteen essays by social scientists and one theologian, this book analyzes the different ways in which organized religion provides immigrants with an arena for mobilization, civic participation, and solidarity. Contributors explore topics including how non-Western religious groups such as the Vietnamese Caodai are striving for community recognition and addressing problems such as racism, economic issues, and the politics of diaspora; how interfaith groups organize religious people into immigrant civil rights activists at the U.S.-Mexican border; and how large Catholic groups advocate governmental legislation and policies on behalf of refugees. In an era marked by xenophobia and a new sense of nationalism that equates foreigners with terrorists, non-governmental advocates like those described here are especially crucial in fighting for the well-being of newcomers to this country. This book provides a compelling new look at this new social function of contemporary religion.

Taking into account Lakoffs analysis, it is amazing how Santorum and his writing team co-opt the nurturing parent themes of caring and responsibility, protection, fulfillment in life, fairness, freedom, opportunity, prosperity, community, service, cooperation, trust, honesty, openness, etc. for their own discourse.

Palacios reviews Suburban Sweatshops: The Fight for Immigrant Rights by Jennifer Gordon.

Finally, Luis León's study of curanderismo (faith healing) in Los Angeles is more of a narration of one curandera's contribution to the spiritual ecology of urban Mexican immigrants looking for traditional sources of religious consolation and help, but within the almost anonymous setting of a botanica or religious goods store. Both authors utilize a Latino theological perspective that privileges the religious and spiritual experiences of the poor and the immigrant, which thus highlights the Catholic option for the poor in relation to Mexican religious experience in the United States.