| The Politics of Moral Sin: Abortion and Divorce in Spain, Chile and Argentina Contributor(s): Blofield, Merike (Author) |
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ISBN: 0415977754 ISBN-13: 9780415977753 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $152.00 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: February 2006 Annotation: This book analyzes the problems that arise when women's rights conflict with the views of conservative organized religion. Specifically, it addresses the legalization--or lack thereof--of divorce and abortion in three recently democratized Catholic countries: Spain, Chile, and Argentina. The book offers a vital and timely contribution to political debates on democratic consolidation, social policy, gender and politics as well as religion and politics. It challenges many of the accepted assumptions and conclusions in these fields, arguing that to understand the political dynamics and policy trajectories on these issues we must first analyze the distribution of both economic and political power. This book moves the debate away from a (unitary) focus on values and public opinion to an analysis of how economic, social and political structures give certain actors more power than others. The topics covered should appeal to a broad readership interested in the difficulties of democratic consolidation in Latin America, and the obstacle to social policy reform in a region with such high levels of inequality. The analysis presented in this book also deepens our understanding of why and how European countries have been so successful in limiting the indulgence of organized religion and in promoting women's rights. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | Civil Rights - Political Science | Public Policy - Cultural Policy |
| Dewey: 323.340 |
| LCCN: 2005027768 |
| Series: Latin American Studies: Social Sciences and Law |
| Physical Information: 0.75" H x 6.1" W x 9.3" (1.08 lbs) 264 pages |
| Themes: - Religious Orientation - Catholic - Religious Orientation - Christian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This book analyzes the problems that arise when women's rights conflict with the views of conservative organized religion. Specifically, it addresses the legalization - or lack thereof - of divorce and abortion in three recently democratized Catholic countries: Spain, Chile, and Argentina. Offering a vital and timely contribution to political debates on democratic consolidation, social policy, gender, politics and religion, it challenges many of the accepted assumptions and conclusions in these fields, arguing that to understand the political dynamics and policy trajectories on these issues we must first analyze the distribution of both economic and political power. Merike Blofield moves the debate away from a (unitary) focus on values and public opinion to an analysis of how economic, social and political structures give certain actors more power than others. The topics covered should appeal to a broad readership interested in the difficulties of democratic consolidation in Latin America, and the obstacles to social policy reform in a region with such high levels of inequality. The analysis presented in The Politics of Moral Sin also deepens our understanding of why and how European countries have been so successful in limiting the indulgence of organized religion and in promoting women's rights. |