Overview

This nuanced book considers the role of religion and religiosity in modern Mexico, breaking new ground with an emphasis on popular religion and its relationship to politics. The contributors highlight the multifaceted role of religion, illuminating the ways that religion and religious devotion have persisted and changed since Mexican independence. They explore such themes as the relationship between church and state, the resurgence of religiosity and religious societies in the post-reform period, the religious values of the liberals of the 1850s, and the ways that popular expressions of religion often trumped formal and universal proscriptions. Focusing on individual stories and vignettes and on local elements of religion, the contributors show that despite efforts to secularize society, religion continues to be a strong component of Mexican culture. Portraying the complexity of religiosity in Mexico in the context of an increasingly secular state, this book will be invaluable for all those interested in Latin American history and religion. Contributions by: Silvia Marina Arrom, Adrian Bantjes, Alejandro Cortázar, Jason Dormady, Martin Austin Nesvig, Matthew D. O'Hara, Daniela Traffano, Paul J. Vanderwood, Mark Overmyer-Velázquez, Pamela Voekel, and Edward Wright-Rios

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9780742537477

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Reviews

Collectively the authors address, often in imaginative ways, the breadth and depth of religiosity in Mexico and its consequences. Hispanic American Historical Review, November 2008 Religious Culture in Modern Mexico compliments Martin Nesvig's other recent edited volume...providing the most comprehensive overview of current research on religion in Mexico. Church History, March 2008 All the essays are well written and rooted in considerable scholarly research...It should also appeal to anyone concerned with the role of religion and the Catholic Church in the modern era. The Catholic Historical Review, January 2009 This follow-up to Nesvig's earlier collection of essays on local religion in colonial Mexico is conceptually more challenging than the excellent colonial volume because of the paucity of the literature on religion (as opposed to the literature on church-state relations) in the modern period, and because of the complexity of the political context. It succeeds brilliantly. Individually, the essays reach high levels of scholarly excellence, but even more impressively, they come together to provide an exciting new perspective on Mexican history in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. -- Margaret Chowning, University of California, Berkeley

This follow-up to Nesvig's earlier collection of essays on local religion in colonial Mexico is conceptually more challenging than the excellent colonial volume because of the paucity of the literature on religion (as opposed to the literature on church-state relations) in the modern period, and because of the complexity of the political context. It succeeds brilliantly. Individually, the essays reach high levels of scholarly excellence, but even more impressively, they come together to provide an exciting new perspective on Mexican history in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.--Margaret Chowning

Collectively the authors address, often in imaginative ways, the breadth and depth of religiosity in Mexico and its consequences. Hispanic American Historical Review, November 2008 Religious Culture in Modern Mexico compliments Martin Nesvig's other recent edited volume...providing the most comprehensive overview of current research on religion in Mexico. Church History, March 2008 All the essays are well written and rooted in considerable scholarly research...It should also appeal to anyone concerned with the role of religion and the Catholic Church in the modern era. Catholic Historical Review, January 2009 This follow-up to Nesvig's earlier collection of essays on local religion in colonial Mexico is conceptually more challenging than the excellent colonial volume because of the paucity of the literature on religion (as opposed to the literature on church-state relations) in the modern period, and because of the complexity of the political context. It succeeds brilliantly. Individually, the essays reach high levels of scholarly excellence, but even more impressively, they come together to provide an exciting new perspective on Mexican history in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. -- Margaret Chowning, University of California, Berkeley

Collectively the authors address, often in imaginative ways, the breadth and depth of religiosity in Mexico and its consequences. Hispanic American Historical Review Religious Culture in Modern Mexico compliments Martin Nesvig's other recent edited volume ... providing the most comprehensive overview of current research on religion in Mexico. Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture All the essays are well written and rooted in considerable scholarly research... It should also appeal to anyone concerned with the role of religion and the Catholic Church in the modern era. The Catholic Historical Review This follow-up to Nesvig's earlier collection of essays on local religion in colonial Mexico is conceptually more challenging than the excellent colonial volume because of the paucity of the literature on religion (as opposed to the literature on church-state relations) in the modern period, and because of the complexity of the political context. It succeeds brilliantly. Individually, the essays reach high levels of scholarly excellence, but even more impressively, they come together to provide an exciting new perspective on Mexican history in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. -- Margaret Chowning, University of California, Berkeley

Author Information

Martin Austin Nesvig is assistant professor of history at the University of Miami.

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