This extraordinary book encompasses the time period from the first Christian evangelists' arrival in Latin America to the dictators of the late twentieth century. With unsurpassed kwledge of Latin American history, John Lynch sets out to explore the reception of Christianity by native peoples and how it influenced their social and religious lives as the centuries passed. As attentive to modern times as to the colonial period, Lynch also explores the extent to which Indian religion and ancestral ways survived within the new Christian culture. The book follows the development of religious culture over time by focusing on peak periods of change: the response of religion to the Enlightenment, the emergence of the Church from the wars of independence, the Romanization of Latin American religion as the papacy overtook the Spanish crown in effective control of the Church, the growing challenge of liberalism and the secular state, and in the twentieth century, military dictators' assaults on human rights. Throughout the narrative, Lynch develops a number of special themes and topics. Among these are the Spanish struggle for justice for Indians, the Church's position on slavery, the concept of popular religion as distinct from official religion, and the development of liberation theology.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Yale University Press
ISBN-10
030016680x
ISBN-13
9780300166804
eBay Product ID (ePID)
114071899
Product Key Features
Author
John Lynch
Format
Hardback
Language
English
Subject
Religion: Comparative, General & Référence
Type
Textbook
Dimensions
Weight
861g
Height
234mm
Width
155mm
Additional Product Features
Place of Publication
New Haven
Spine
40mm
Content Note
16 Pp. B-w Illus.
Author Biography
John Lynch is Emeritus Professor of Latin American History and former director of the Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London. He is the author of more than a dozen books on Latin American topics. He lives in London.