Author: Todd Hartch File Type: pdf Catholic priest and radical social critic Ivan Illich is best known for books like Deschooling Society and Medical Nemesis that skewered the dominant institutions of the West in the 1970s. Although commissioned in 1961 by American bishops to run a missionary training center in Cuernavaca, Mexico, Illich emerged as one of the major critics of the missionary movement. As he became a more controversial figure, his center evolved into CIDOC (Centro Intercultural de Documentaci?n), an informal university that attracted a diverse group of intellectuals and seekers from around the world. They came to Illichs center to learn Spanish, to attend seminars, and to sit at the feet of Illich, whose relentless criticism of the Catholic Church and modern Western culture resonated with the revolutionary spirit of the times. His 1967 article, The Seamy Side of Charity, a harsh attack on the American missionary effort in Latin America, and other criticisms of the Church led to a trial at the Vatican in 1968, after which he left the priesthood. Illichs writings struck at the foundations of western society, and envisioned utopian transformations in the realms of education, transportation, medicine, and economics. He was an inspiration to a generation of liberation theologians and other left-wing intellectuals. In The Prophet of Cuernavaca Todd Hartch traces the development of Illichs ideas from his work as a priest through his later secular period, offering one of the first book-length historical treatments of his thought in English. **Review The book is at once disarmingly conversational and highly scholarly, a readable narrative and a rigorous analysis, a compelling story and a strong thesis about Illich s life work.--International Journey of Christianity and Education Fair-minded and readable Readers finding themselves uncomfortable with all the available reform-revolution categories will find this appreciative yet critical Illich biography a good read.--America Magazine Hartch s work on this controversial man is recommended to all academic libraries, especially those with Hispanic studies collections. Hartch has done an excellent job in keeping us aware of the tumultuous times in the 1960s and 1970s and those prophets like Illich.--Catholic Library World Well researched and accessibly written, this is an important study of a major late-20th-century social critic. --CHOICE Hartch captures Illichs rare intellect and passion -- as well as his Catholic faith -- without succumbing to the ideological commentary that mars so many analyses of one of Western cultures most incisive social critics. I strongly recommend this book to young readers who seek an introduction to Illich, as well as to those like me who thought they already knew him. --Timothy Matovina, author of Latino Catholicism Transformation in Americas Largest Church Illich was an enigmatic Catholic figure, a polymath who saw himself as a prophet of revolution. He viewed missionaries as tools of cultural occupation, saw schooling as detrimental to real education, and the medical system as harmful to health. Along the way he denounced the Church hierarchy as a betrayal of Christ, was suitably tried for heresy only to turn the tables on his inquisitors. Yet he left a large footprint that Hartch has traced with diligence and care. --Lamin Sanneh, author of Disciples of All Nations Pillars of World Christianity Todd Hartch, a prolific analyst of religious cultures and institutions of Latin America, provides a thoroughly original and engrossing interpretation of the life of Ivan Illich, one of the regions most provocative social thinkers of the second half of the twentieth century. By focusing on Illichs priestly calling, which endured long after he abandoned his public ministry, and by decoding the often-camouflaged theological underpinnings of Illichs thought and action, Hartch provides an illuminating portrait of one of the last centurys most influential, yet misunderstood, critics of western modernity and the Catholic Church. --Gilbert M. Joseph, Farnam Professor of History and International Studies, Yale University Students of Latin American Christianity will be fruitfully provoked by their encounter with Illich through Hartchs work and contemporary readers of Illich now have a tremendous resource to turn to in trying to understand those events that precipitated his career as a social critic.-- Studies in Religion The great merit of this book is that it sheds light on an important chapter in the life of the church in the mid-twentieth century and on the role played by this still enigmatic figure. --American Catholic Studies About the Author Todd Hartch is Professor of History, Eastern Kentucky University. He is the author of The Rebirth of Latin American Christianity.

Author: Katherine Marshall File Type: pdf This work fills a significant gap in the current literature by providing a concise introduction to religious institutions and an insightful analysis of their role in world affairs. Focusing on formal institutions specifically dedicated to governing religious communities, the work examines the intersections between religious and other global institutions, set against the fundamental question why and how do these intersections matter?The work explores the role of religion within key issues includingullHuman rights llHuman securityllInternational development and humanitarian reliefllClimate changellMoral responsibilities lulThe new forms that religious institutions are taking, their fit with human rights and democratic ideals, their changing nature in plural societies, are a highly relevant part of the global institutional picture and this book is essential reading for all students and scholars of global institutions, international relations and religion. **