Amy Reynolds
Department of Sociology
Princeton University
Kellogg Institute Visiting Fellow
Tuesday, February 16, 2006
12:30 pm - C103 Hesburgh Center
“Catholic and Costa Rican: Bishops’ Discourse over Free Trade”
Amy Reynolds (PhD, Princeton University) studies how the values of religious organizations shape analysis of economic policy, with special attention to the debates over free trade in the Americas.
Abstract
In this presentation, I examine the discourse produced by the Catholic Council of Bishops in Costa Rica surrounding the Central America–US–Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement. Perhaps the most contentious political issue in the nation’s recent history, CAFTA-DR was the topic of many official pronouncements from the Church. It consistently voiced criticisms over the agreement, although in the middle of the five-year debate, the Church emphasized a neutral position regarding the treaty.
Based on textual analysis, I argue that the bishops’ discourse was shaped by their understandings of Catholic social thought, although national identity also played a critical role. Specifically, I examine the ways that certain values of Catholic social thought, a Costa Rican identity, and the privileged location of the Church within the Costa Rican state impacted the bishops’ economic analysis and engagement of free trade policy.
