Spring 2009 Cushwa Center Activities
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AMERICAN CATHOLIC STUDIES NEWSLETTE R CUSHWA CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF AMERICAN CATHOLICISM When Faith and Reason Meet: The Legacy of John Zahm, C.S.C. David B. Burrell, C.S.C. hen the Library which more people have lost their lives the party. It is not that Zahm’s talents of Congress to pseudo-scientific ideologies than did went completely unrecognized. In 1887, began planning in the rest of human history, he moved Indiana University’s president had invited its millennial to correct both lacunae. He chose a him to speak on “the Catholic Church symposium in philosopher to comment on religion, and modern science” at Indiana W 1999, librarian the current archbishop of Chicago, University. One local reviewer was James Billington consulted the agenda Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., whose impressed enough to comment that for the previous centenary celebration prognosis for the central religious issue “unlike many a Protestant minister, only to find that there had been no rep - in 21st century — dialogue between Father Zahm knew what he believed, resentative of religion or the arts on the Catholics and Muslims — would high - where he got his belief, and how to program. The mindset prevailing in light the relevance of the subject even sustain himself in the same.” Southern 1899 apparently had trusted that “sci - more decisively. But let us first focus on Indiana was far from Washington, ence” would suffice to lead humankind the climate in 1899, when Notre Dame’s however, and such trenchant criticism along the march of progress so evident John Zahm had found a persuasive voice of the de facto religious establishment since reason had displaced obscurantism. for articulating the integrity of rational may have been even less tolerated in And if romanticism’s widespread reac - inquiry in scientific investigation while the nation’s capital, so omission proved tion to reason’s incapacity to respond to expounding the complementary guid - a more suitable strategy for the repre - the yearnings of the human soul had ance of faith. sentatives of the intellectual elite at the failed to move these representatives of In retrospect, Zahm’s presence Library of Congress in 1899. the Enlightenment to include the arts, could have proved illuminating to that Aside from a residence hall bearing the complementary stirrings of the august gathering at the Library of his name, omission has characterized the “Great A wakening” would doubtless Congress. But in 1899, Notre Dame was University of Notre Dame’s treatment have elicited yet more formidable fears far from the university which he would of Zahm as well. Ralph Weber’s Notre of the specter of religion. As Billington prod it to become, and of course a Dame’s John Zahm: American Catholic invited people to reflect on a century in Catholic priest could only have spoiled Apologist and Educator, which was published in 1961, is the only existing critical biography. Historians of science I N S I D E have “discovered” his forays into evolu - tion at the end of the 19th century, Cushwa Center Activities ............................................................................ 2-6 finding them genuinely ground-breaking. Announcements ............................................................................................ 10 A generation or two separates me from Zahm, but after completing 42 years Publications: In Search of Chicano Catholic History: Mario T. García, Católicos: Resistance and Affirmation in Chicano Catholic History ................................ 11-18 of service to Notre Dame in teaching, Upcoming Events ........................................................................................ 18 see When Faith and Reason Meet: The Legacy of John Zahm, C.S.C., page 7 VOLUME 36 NUMBER 1SPRING 2009 CUSHWA CENTER ACTIVITIES In response to Tweed’s questions, on women in the Church of God in Seminar in Brekus opened the discussion by noting Christ, she more frequently found American Religion disagreements among the contributors sources “in somebody’s closet” than in over the level of women’s acceptance in an archive. Finally, Butler commented On September 20, the Seminar in religion and history. She suggested that on the importance of studying conser - American Religion discussed The religious historians are often marginal - vative as well as liberal women, citing Religious History of American Women: ized in part because of their failure to her own efforts to reclaim the stories Reimagining the Past (North Carolina, engage theoretical models for under - of women “saying no.” 2007), a collection of essays edited by standing history. This phenomenon Nabhan-Warren observed that Catherine A. Brekus. Three of the vol - underlies what Brekus characterized as some women’s history has “detached umes’ contributors joined Brekus to an unacknowledged “crisis in the field” women from the men in their lives.” form a panel. Anthea Butler, assistant over causation and agency, in which Admitting that this may have been professor of religion and classics at the scholars uncritically accept poor models a necessary first step in uncovering University of Rochester, contributed of “how things happen.” In her response women’s voices, Nabhan-Warren “Unrespectable Saints: Women of the to Tweed’s opening comments, suggested that it now works against Church of God in Christ.” Kathleen Cummings noted that because many women’s inclusion in larger narratives. Sprows Cummings, associate director of readers still dismiss books that include Brekus seconded this observation, the Cushwa Center and assistant profes - “women” in their titles, authors need to commenting that this model of writing sor in the Department of American think deliberately about how to pitch about women alone might be an imita - Studies at the University of Notre Dame, is the author of “The ‘New Woman’ at the ‘University:’ Gender and American Catholic Identity in the Progressive Era.” Kristy Nabhan-Warren, assistant profes - sor of American religions at Augustana College, contributed “Little Slices of Heaven and Mary’s Candy Kisses: Mexican American Women Redefining Feminism and Catholicism.” Tom Tweed, the Shive, Lindsay, and Gray Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, served as commentator. Tweed opened the discussion with three “deceptively simple” questions: Who “does” gender, and what would doing gender mean? Is Brekus correct Kristy Nabhan-Warren, Catherine A. Brekus, Kathleen Sprows Cummings, and Anthea Butler in suggesting that women's history has not yet gained full acceptance within the fields of either religion or history? their work to a broader audience. She tion of the faulty traditional model of And finally, if she is correct, what are also pointed to the problem of women’s writing about men alone. the causes of that exclusion and the best invisibility; in her own study of The audience discussion opened strategies for overcoming it? Offering American Catholicism, for example, the with a brief conversation on how his own reflections on these questions, fact that nuns pursued self-effacement women's history plays into the narratives Tweed wondered how variables such and humility makes them much less of secularization and Americanization. as age and academic discipline might likely than priests or bishops to be Sarah McFarland Taylor of Northwestern affect how each individual would included in the historical record. University emphasized the importance answer these questions. Tweed praised Building on Cummings’ comments, of incorporating unusual or unwritten Brekus’ introduction to the volume, Butler observed that writing on an sources into women’s history. Butler which suggests several possible reasons understudied topic is made more diffi - noted that material culture may point why female subjects are so often over - cult by the need to transcend readers’ to differences in religion across ethnic, looked in religious studies and history. pre-existing biases. Butler also noted the racial, and gender boundaries and may Finally, Tweed posited that all people greater logistical challenges inherent in show how religious practice differs from who study religious history in some writing women’s history in general and doctrine. Nabhan-Warren noted how way must also study gender, whether African-American women’s history in bodies and bodily decorations such as they acknowledge it or not. particular. In the case of her research tattoos can also be important resources. 2 The discussion moved next to feminism “Women, Religion and Agency: Some example, Brekus pointed out they and gender within religious groups, as Reflections on Writing American usually choose white, Protestant well as how ethnicity plays into this Women’s Religious History.” Brekus is a “crusaders” who helped create change issue. David Harley wondered how professor of the History of Christianity within these structures. The equation secularization in the academy itself at the University of Chicago Divinity of agency with resistance has led to the might have affected women and School and an associate faculty member underrepresentation of conservative American religious history. in Chicago’s Department of History. women who supported rather than Linda Przybyszewski introduced a Her current project, “Sarah Osborne’s challenged existing social structures. new thread to the discussion by suggest - World: The Rise of Evangelicalism in Noting that these assumptions also affect ing that it may be more advantageous to Early America,” studies 18th-century the way