Kaell, “Catholic Globalism in the United States”
Abstract:Â Inspired by Norget, Napolitano, and Mayblinâs suggestion that anthropologists attend more closely to the mechanisms of Catholicismâs worldwide spread, this article juxtaposes two organizationsâthe Holy Childhood Association and Unboundâto explore âpaganism,â conversion, and its legacy among U.S. laypeople. In the process, it makes two major points. The first concerns the recourse to âcultureâ as a rhetorical and ideational hinge connecting the singularity of Christian universalism and new valuations of local multiplicity. The second focuses on the U.S. Catholic relationship to institutional structures of missionary work, which they both associate with positive attributes of a vibrant society, while also being much more critical than their Protestant counterparts of their own Churchâs role abroad. It ends by noting how Unbound and its supporters contend with ongoing inequalities by cultivating an imagined global parity where Catholic people choose to send their âgiftsâ to each other.