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Thesis advisor: David Hollenbach / Subsidiarity is a principle in Catholic social thought that informs the distribution of authority among levels of the political and social order. First expressly articulated by Pope Pius XI in his 1931 encyclical letter Quadragesimo Anno, the roots of the concept go back further to Pope Leo XIII and to Thomistic social theory. But subsidiarity is frequently subject to the criticism that it is vague and indeterminate and thereby an ineffective guide to politics and public policy. Much of the discussion of subsidiarity proceeds as though the principle were merely one of devolution of authority to the local level. Moreover, the principle is often taken to be a procedural norm, counseling "small is better" regardless of the underlying substantive question to which one is applying the principle of subsidiarity. The thesis of this dissertation is that it is only through an adequate examination of concrete policy issues that subsidiarity's import can be fully measured and appreciated and only by asking what the common good requires in particular instances through the exercise of political prudence that the proper distribution of authority can be determined. The account of subsidiarity advanced in the dissertation is one of "functional pluralism," denoting that subsidiarity focuses upon the multiple ends of differentiated political societies and thereby seeks to determine the goods they pursue and the means that are properly adapted to those ends. The dissertation argues that federalism and localism as informed by the principle of subsidiarity provide a safeguard for fundamental concerns of Catholic social thought, such as human rights and the common good. After examining the concepts of subsidiarity in Catholic social thought and federalism in American constitutional law and considering their relation, the dissertation discusses three areas in which a richer and analytically sharper understanding of the principle of subsidiarity can make an important contribution to policy debates over the role of federalism and localism in law and public policy. The three policy questions addressed in the dissertation are physician-assisted suicide, FDA preemption, and school finance. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

This thesis presents a comparative account of the theory of fetishism and its role in the social constitution and constituent properties of Marx's, Lukács', Adorno's and Lefebvre's theories of social domination. It aims to bring this unduly neglected aspect of fetishism to the fore and to stress its relevance for contemporary critical theory. The thesis begins with an introductory chapter that highlights the lack of a satisfactory theory of fetishism and social domination in contemporary critical theory. It also demonstrates how this notion of fetishism has been neglected in contemporary critical theory and in studies of Marxian theory. This frames the ensuing comparative, historical and theoretical study in the substantive chapters of my thesis, which differentiates, reconstructs and critically evaluates how Marx, Lukács, Adorno and Lefebvre utilize the theory of fetishism to articulate their theories of the composition and characteristics of social domination. Chapter 1 examines Marx's theory of fetish-characteristic forms of value as a theory of domination socially embedded in his account of the Trinity Formula. It also evaluates the theoretical and sociological shortcomings of Capital. Chapter 2 focuses on how Lukács' double-faceted account of fetishism as reification articulates his Hegelian, Marxian, Simmelian and Weberian account of dominating social mystification. Chapter 3 turns to Adorno's theory of the fetish form of the exchange abstraction and unpacks how it serves as a basis for his dialectical critical social theory of domination. Chapter 4 provides an account of how Lefebvre's theory of fetishism as concrete abstraction serves as the basis for a number of theories that attempt to socially embody an account of domination that is not overly deterministic. The critical evaluations in chapters 2-4 interrogate each thinker's conception of fetishism and its role in their accounts of the genesis and pervasiveness of social domination. The conclusion of the thesis consists of three parts. In the first part, I bring together and compare my analysis of Marx, Lukács, Adorno and Lefebvre. In part two, I consider whether their respective theories provide a coherent and cohesive critical social theory of fetishism and of the mode of constitution and the constituents of social domination. In part three, I move toward a contemporary critical theory of fetishism and social domination by synthesising elements of Lukács', Adorno's and Lefebvre's theories with a model of social constitution, reproduction and domination modelled on Marx's account of the Trinity Formula.

Thesis advisor: Thomas J. Massaro / In the U.S. theological context since the 1970's, the current called "public theology" has offered a very interesting proposal for the church to be present in society. In its Catholic variant, this current is very much inspired by the American theologian David Tracy. Applied to the context of Spain, this variant could clarify the relationship between Spanish citizenship and Catholic identity. However, in order to be applied to the context of Spain, this current needs to be put in dialogue with the two other major actors in Spanish society: (1) unbelief, and (2) the Islamic tradition. The issue of unbelief has been the focus of the French moral theologian Paul Valadier. His anthropological framework based on conscience could help public theology to respond to the main secularistic critics. The work of five major modern Islamic social thinkers: Abdulaziz Sachedina, Nurcolish Majid, Adullahi An-Naim, Tariq Ramadan, and Alli Allawi --each of whom have attempted to integrate modern social values with Islamic tradition--provide resources for public theologians to address the Muslim tradition from within the Christian theological stance. By incorporating the insights of these two conversations, public theology presents a new and very interesting proposal for the Church in Spain to be present in the social debates. Integrating Valadier's concern for conscience into Tracy's critical correlational approach offers a suitable theological method. To incorporate Islam into the conversation we should put some previous conditions (the category of public religion) and we should agree on a goal for interreligious dialogue (the pluralistic common good). This method could be the way for the Church in Spain to develop a discourse rooted in Christian identity but understandable by modern Spanish pluralistic society. / Thesis (STD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Orientador: José Antonio Segatto / Banca: Vera Lúcia Vieira / Banca: Wanderson Fábio de Melo / Banca: Milton Lahuerta / Banca: Ângelo Del Vecchio / Resumo: Este trabalho pretende recuperar a trajetória do intelectual carioca José Honório Rodrigues que, ao longo de sua vida, tematizou a respeito da teoria e metodologia da História e, a partir do decênio de 1950, passou a centrar sua obra na produção de uma interpretação da sociedade brasileira. A ruptura dos anos 50 pauta-se pelo ideário assumido pelo autor, isto é, o nacionalismo-liberal, sendo que este foi a base de suas tematizações e de sua interpretação do Brasil. O núcleo interpretativo oferece uma compreensão do país, tendo a conciliação como base de explicação da sociedade, pois a partir dessa reflexão o autor aponta para os momentos em que a liderança política, assumindo a "conciliação" com o povo, proporciona a melhoria nas condições de vida do povo e, dessa forma, evita a prática de uma "História Cruenta" por parte das lideranças antipovo. Essa análise de José Honório foi determinante para sua crítica aos rumos da sociedade no contexto posterior ao golpe civil militar de 1964, denominado o período como "Generalismo presidencial". Sua crítica ao "presidencialismo imperial" dos militares o levou a assumir uma postura de reflexão e posicionando de forma ativa na "Política Externa Independente", a partir de 1965. Sendo assim, nosso intuito é recuperar todo esse contexto que permite a identificação de José Honório Rodrigues como um intérprete da sociedade brasileira / Abstract: This paper to recover the trajectory of intellectual Jose Honorio Rodrigues, who, throughout his life, thematized on the theory and methodology of history and from the decade of 1950, has focused his work in producing an interpretation of society Brazil. Rupture of 50 years is guided by the ideas given by the author, that is, liberal-nationalism, and this was the basis of their analytic themes and their interpretation of Brazil. The core offers an interpretive understanding of the country and the reconciliation as a basis for explanation of society, because from this discussion the author points to times when leadership, taking the "reconciliation" with the people, provides better conditions life of the people and thus avoids the practice of a "grisly history" by the leaders'. This analysis of Jose Honorio was instrumental in his criticism of the direction of society in the context of post-civil-military coup in 1964, called the period as "general president." His criticism of the "imperial presidentialism" of the military led him to assume a posture of reflection and positioning of the active form in the "Independent Foreign Policy" from 1965. Thus, our aim is to restore that environment that allows the identification of Jose Honorio Rodrigues as an interpreter of Brazilian society / Doutor

This thesis traces the development of Algerian sociologist Abdelmalek Sayad’s ideas pertaining to Algerian immigration in France in the postcolonial period. I show that Sayad must be understood as more than simply an accomplished scholar; he must also be seen as a scientific intellectual operating within a particular historical moment. Sayad’s writings on the migrant condition are, I argue, a sociological analysis of Algerian immigrants’ existential dilemma that is rooted in a loss of sense of belonging and a feeling of being oppressed by state power and dominant members of French society. In addition, Sayad’s radical critique of the nation-state operated both as an explanation of Algerians’ sense of liminality as well as his attempt to recast the narrative of Algerian immigration in France as a form of neocolonialism. Sayad’s sociological work was not purely academic; it was impassioned and, at times, imbued with the language of a moral voice.

It is within the realm of the international civil society that religions play out their important public roles as charities and advocacy organizations in globalization. World governance models in the post-Cold War era stress the important role that civil society plays in building and sustaining democracy. Indeed, the participation of the Catholic Church in the "third wave of democratization" confirms this. Yet, twenty-five years after the collapse of international socialism, problems with American-led models of development have come to the fore in glaring ways. Growing wealth inequality and what Gayatri Spivak calls "sustainable underdevelopment" are the norm, and these problems highlight the dangers and instability of liberal economic policies. Religious organizations, and proponents of the Catholic social tradition in particular, have been the strongest voices for advocating social justice and advancing policies that pursue "the common good." Both working to alleviate poverty as charities ([i]NGOs and FBOs) and using their voices as a "public religion" (José Casanova) in civil society, Catholic institutions navigate the historically constructed and contingent boundaries among the three spheres of the state, the market, and civil society. Studying this interplay has provided fruitful theories deconstructing the religious/secular binary. In light of these theories, this thesis applies the critique of liberalism supplied by world-systems analysis to the development of Catholic social thought, in the process highlighting a complex history of complicity and dissent with U.S. liberalism's unfolding hegemony. In circulating Catholic social thought through the economic focused paradigm of world-systems analysis, I explore the possibilities of seeing religion and globalization outside a culturally focused framework. How the social magisterium is responding to the problems of economic globalization in an increasingly unstable world will affect its future legitimacy. I explore where the Church has been and its capacity to be a continuingly proactive force for "social justice" and "the common good."

Thesis advisor: James Keenan / Environmental conservation is a pressing issue for modern humans. Health care systems and the consumption of medical goods should therefore be assessed in light of environmental sustainability. While the primary focus of environmental bioethics has been hospitals and health care facilities, ethicists must also address the offerings of the medical industry going forward. My dissertation proposes four principles to assess the environmental sustainability of current and future medical developments, techniques, and procedures. The four principles of green bioethics are: 1. General allocation of resources should precede special interest access: distributive justice 2. Current human needs over current human wants: environmental conservation 3. Simplicity before complexity: reducing dependence on medical intervention 4. The common good should drive health care instead of financial profit: ethical economics. The four principles of green bioethics will move environmental bioethics into the 21st century in a responsible and sustainable manner. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Thesis advisor: David Hollenbach / Solidarity as spiritual exercise: a contribution to the development of solidarity in the Catholic social tradition By Mark William Potter Director: David Hollenbach, S.J. ABSTRACT The encyclicals and speeches of Pope John Paul II placed solidarity at the very center of the Catholic social tradition and contemporary Christian ethics. This dissertation analyzes the historical development of solidarity in the Church's encyclical tradition, and then offers an examination and comparison of the unique contributions of John Paul II and the Jesuit theologian Jon Sobrino to contemporary understandings of solidarity. Ultimately, I argue that understanding solidarity as spiritual exercise integrates the wisdom of John Paul II's conception of solidarity as the virtue for an interdependent world with Sobrino's insights on the ethical implications of Christian spirituality, orthopraxis, and a commitment to communal liberation. The dissertation probes the relationship between spirituality and ethics in general, and Ignatian spirituality and Catholic social teaching, in particular. My analysis of solidarity in the encyclical tradition (Chapter 1) provides an historical overview of the incremental development of solidarity in the writings of successive popes and ecclesial councils from Pius XII through Paul VI. In considering the unique contributions of John Paul II, I turn first to the theological and philosophical formation of Karol Wojtyla and the sociopolitical context of Poland (Ch. 2). My analysis then turns to a consideration of Pope John Paul II's social encyclicals (Ch. 3), with the goal of offering a definition of solidarity that integrates his intellectual formation and social context with the development of solidarity in the official social tradition. Next, I examine the development of solidarity in the writings of Jon Sobrino, first through an analysis of his intellectual and spiritual formation in the revolutionary context of El Salvador (Ch. 4), and then through an analysis of his unique theological contributions to the topic (Ch. 5). Based on Sobrino, I offer an articulation of solidarity as spiritual exercise as an original contribution to the development of solidarity in the Catholic social tradition (Ch. 6). / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.