Movement to movement transmission and the role of place: The relationship between catholic action and call to action

Abstract

This article offers an alternative interpretation of the relationship between two social movement organizations (SMOs) with roots in the Catholic Church of Chicago: Catholic Action (CA), specifically the form that began in the 1940s and expanded as the Christian Family Movement, and Call to Action (CTA), an SMO that emerged during the 1970s. Using social movement theories combined with the sociology of place, this article analyzes periodicals, archival data, and interviews arguing that (1) the SMOs are closely related, (2) that the relationship between them is an excellent example of movement-to-movement transmission, and (3) that the role of "place" - in this case, Chicago - is significant in the movement-to-movement transmission process. This article adds to our awareness of social movements within religious organizations, by demonstrating CAs continuing influence and its relationship to the mobilization of CTA. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association for the Sociology of Religion. All rights reserved.