Faith and the Historian collects essays from eight experienced historians discussing the impact of being "touched" by Catholicism on their vision of history. That first graduate seminar, these essays suggest, did not mark the inception of one's historical sensibilities; rather, the process had deeper, and earlier, roots. The authors-ranging from "cradle to the grave" Catholics to those who haven't practiced for forty years and everywhere in between-explicitly investigate the interplay between their personal lives and beliefs and the sources of their professional work. A variety of heartfelt, illuminating, and sometimes humorous experiences emerge from these stories of intelligent people coming to terms with their Catholic backgrounds as they mature and enter the academy. Contributors include: Philip Gleason, David Emmons, Maureen Fitzgerald, Joseph A. McCartin, Mario T. Garcia, Nick Salvatore, James R. Barrett, and Anne M. Butler.

 

What others are saying about FAITH AND THE HISTORIAN

“Personal essays by academics can be vacuous exercises in self-indulgence, but not these thoughtful and thought-provoking reflections on what it means to function as both active historians and actively engaged Roman Catholics. Taken individually chapter by chapter or as a whole, this is illuminating writing of the best kind.”
Mark Noll, University of Notre Dame

“The essays are engagingly written…which lend them a wide appeal to anyone interested in the movement of American Catholicism over the past 50 years.”
THE CATHOLIC SUN (Phoenix, AZ)

“I do not know of a better book on the recent history of lived Catholicism in America. The authors are skillful storytellers who convey vivid senses of what it felt like to inhabit Catholic worlds as children, and they weave evocative details about their experiences into narrative frameworks that reveal the structural dynamics of American Catholic cultures.”
Amanda Porterfield, Florida State University

“This collection of original essays reveals deep self-analysis and reflection that will impress, provoke, and inspire a wide range of readers….This is high-level Catholic autobiography in the American context.”
Walter Nugent, University of Notre Dame