In studying the church in its relationship with the state and society, Pilar García Jordán makes a valuable and necessary contribution to the historiography of early republican Peru. She argues insistently that church and state engaged in efforts of mutual legitimacy and collaboration following independence. Her theoretical approach is inspired by authors such as Mart Bax, who focus on the church’s role in the process of nation-state formation.
The book analyzes three basic periods in close consideration of the economic and social evolution of Peru between 1821 and 1919. It supports this chronological organization with copious and solid documentary evidence. In the first period (1821-1844), García Jordán finds a lack of significant divergence between church and state officials, which helped prolong the colonial heritage. During a second, modernizing period (1845-1879), the church attempted to resist liberal changes, in particular the abolition of diezmos, the redemption of ecclesiastical censos and capellanías, and religious toleration (deemed necessary to attract immigrants to Peru). Finally, between 1880 and 1919, the church tried to recapture its former influential position despite the gradual secularization of traditional religious services, such as marriages and funerals, and the general rise of conservative, positivist, and Darwinist positions wary of radical challenges.
García Jordán is especially deft when discussing ideological, technical, and legal controversies particular to the interaction between church and state. She modifies previous views by Fredrick Pike and Jeffrey Klaiber on subjects such as conservatives and regalismo and primicias. Among many issues, her discussions of patronato, nacionalcatolicismo, Catholic movements and parties, and missionary activities are especially informative. The book thus makes a valuable reference tool for specialists.
García Jordán, moreover, has faced a major challenge in the scarcity of studies that can clarify key social and economic transformations in nineteenth-century Peru. She carefully differentiates between formerly accepted views and recent revisions. Her sources of information have been innovatively obtained from archives and contemporary pamphlets. She presents important statistical information on ecclesiastical personnel, income, and accounting. Footnotes are very thoughtful and helpful, although some are perhaps too dense.
The author’s claim of an innovative methodology is moderated, however, by a heavily institutional approach. Although popular religiosity is an important element in the relationship between church, society, and state, here the treatment of popular religious practices is practically absent. An introductory general discussion of the colonial background, especially regarding church-state relations, is wanting. A certain stiffness in style and repetitive argumentation in some sections makes the reading of the book somewhat unequal in fluidity. These caveats notwithstanding, this book will remain a major inspiration for future research on modern ecclesiastical issues.
