Latino Religions and Civic Activism in the United States

This volume presents sixteen new essays addressing important issues, personalities, and movements in Latino religions in America. The authors' purpose is to overthrow the longstanding stereotype that Latinos are politically passive and that their churches have supported the status quo, failing to engage in or support that struggle for civil rights and social justice. Individual essays explore such varied topics as "The Mysticism and Social Action of Cesar Chavez," "The Challenges of Being Latina, Catholic, and Feminist," "Hispanic Churches in Faith-Based Community Organizing," and "The Mexican American Cultural Center and the Politics of Cultural Empowerment." The first anthology of its kind, the book will be an invaluable resource for scholars in a wide range of disciplines, as well as serving as an introductory or supplemental text for courses in religion, politics, and Latino/Chicano studies.