The dynamic interplay of democracy, culture, and Catholicism in the contemporary world is analyzed in twenty-three essays focused on four diverse countries: Indonesia, Lithuania, Peru, and the United States. The three-way relationship between democracy, culture, and Catholicism in these countries refracts in multiple directions. Each offers instructive comparisons and contrasts regarding the relationship between politics, civil society, and religion worldwide. Whereas Indonesia is a consolidating democracy, Lithuania is transitioning to democracy. While Peru’s democracy still struggles with a ... More

The dynamic interplay of democracy, culture, and Catholicism in the contemporary world is analyzed in twenty-three essays focused on four diverse countries: Indonesia, Lithuania, Peru, and the United States. The three-way relationship between democracy, culture, and Catholicism in these countries refracts in multiple directions. Each offers instructive comparisons and contrasts regarding the relationship between politics, civil society, and religion worldwide. Whereas Indonesia is a consolidating democracy, Lithuania is transitioning to democracy. While Peru’s democracy still struggles with a post-colonial legacy, the United States is an old democracy struggling to maintain and expand its vision of freedom and equality. While Indonesia is rooted in Pacific Asian culture, Lithuania locates its identity in ancient Slavic traditions. Peru takes great pride in its indigenous and Latin heritage, while the United States expresses its national soul in an ethnic ‘melting pot’ culture. In Indonesia, the Catholic population is a tiny minority; in Lithuania a once-majority Catholic population has rapidly dissipated. Catholicism is still the dominant religion in Peru; in the United States, Catholics are a ‘large’ but declining minority. The rich contrasts are explored in essays by historians, theologians, philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, economists, anthropologists, political scientists, lawyers, and scholars in literature and communication studies. An introduction guides the reader through the book’s rich weave, as do the introductory notes offered at the beginning of each chapter. Informative and creative from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, the book is a resource for new approaches and authors on the subject of politics, civil society, and religion.