Nicaragua's Other Revolution - by Michael Dodson & Laura Nuzzi O'Shaughnessy (Paperback)

About the Book

Nicaragua's Other Revolution: Religious Faith and Political Struggle

Book Synopsis

The 1979 rebellion in Nicaragua was the first in modern Latin America to be carried out with the active participation and support of Christians. Like all revolutions, the Nicaraguan Revolution has provoked controversy and hostility, and the Christian presence has been a focal point in the debate. In this work Michael Dodson and Laura Nuzzi O'Shaughnessy offer a detailed study of the religious sources of the revolution set against the backgound of the revolutionary traditions of the United States.

Nicaragua's Other Revolution places the experience of the Nicaraguan Revolution in a historical framework that extends back to the Protestant Reformation and in an institutional framework that encompasses the whole of Nicaraguan politics. Examining the broad process of religious change, this work explores how that process interacted with the political struggles that culminated in the revolution. Dodson and O'Shaughnessy conclude that the religious values and attitudes arising out of postconciliar renewal in the church contributed powerfully to demands for revolutionary change in Nicaragua.

In England and America the Protestant Reformation gave a tremendous boost to demands for democratic changes in society and politics. This work shows that something similar happened in Catholic Central America in the post-Medellin period. Changes in religious thought and action were part of, and served to reinforce and stimulate, a wider movement for social and political change. Without denying the importance of Marxism, the authors demonstrate that other important influences are at work there.

Originally published in 1990.

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From the Back Cover

Nicaragua's Other Revolution places the experience of the Nicaraguan Revolution in a historical framework that extends back to the Protestant Reformation and in an institutional frame-work that encompasses the whole Nicaraguan politics.

Review Quotes

"[Will] become the standard treatment of religion in the Nicaraguan revolution and of the effects of liberation theology on Nicaraguan politics. . . . Has a theoretical and comparative richness that will inform scholars and specialists. This is an excellent and useful book appropriate for courses ranging from Latin American politics to religion and politics."--"Political Science Quarterly"

"A well-written overview of the unique history and conflicting roles of religion in the Nicaraguan Revolution, this book makes a particularly valuable contribution by setting the church-state and intra-church debate against the backdrop of conflicting models of democracy. . . . It will be a welcome resource for anyone interested in cutting through the confusion and disinformation surrounding the Nicaraguan Revolution in general and the roles of religion within it in particular."--Thomas W. Walker, Ohio University

"This original and thought-provoking book sheds important new light on religion's role in the Nicaraguan Revolution. By setting Nicaraguan experiences in a broad philosophical and historical context, the authors contribute to understanding not only Nicaragua, but also the more general issues raised by religion's role in social change and revolution."--Daniel H. Levine, University of Michigan