Catalina Romero

Globalization, Civil Society and Religion from a Latin American Standpoint

Religion in Latin American is Catholic and is becoming universal, ecumenic and global. Since the 16 th century, the people of Peru have fought to retain their cultural identity despite Western encroachment. This paper explores three particular issues: (1) the interplay of the local and the global in the recent history of the Catholic church, (2) the emergence of a theological thinking which is grounded in the practical world and in the consciousness of the poor and middle class citizens, (3) the expansion of civil society with the diversification of the elite and the incorporation of the rural and urban masses. Finally, the impact of these internal changes and how they relate to globalization in religion and culture is examined

An enchanted modernity: Making sense of Latin America’s religious landscape

This is an interpretative, critical, and selective review of scholarly contributions that explore Latin America’s religious landscape. We present data, both qualitative and quantitative, from Latin America and analyze the explanations given to make sense of it. After assessing the literature that uses either secularization theory or the “religious economy” approach, we study explanations that highlight a Latin American style of “popular religiosity.” These three models, in different ways, put the emphasis on religious institutions—their vitality, commands, competition, and authority. We propose, instead, a focus on the religious practices of regular believers. We speculate that embarking from that focus, the idea of an “enchanted modernity” will help make sense of Latin America’s religious landscape. Nuanced elucidation of Latin America’s religious particularities will situate them in dialogue with other regions of the world, like western Europe and the United States, while also acknowledging the fact that Latin America is experiencing a modernization process distinct from the North Atlantic one.