'Andere katholieken': een nieuwe visie

Abstract

‘Other Catholics’: A New VisionThe title of my response to De Rooy’s text sums up the crux of our discussion. Andere katholieken, a volume of essays published in the year 2000, offers ‘a new vision’ of the history of Dutch Catholicism in the twentieth century. Contrary to the prevailing idea of an unshakable unity and a closed front, recent studies demonstrate more and more clearly variation and differentiation in mentality and behaviour, above all under the influence of a progressive modernization of state and society. It is the so-called pillarization theory, in particular, which was put forward by a group of politicologists (notably A. Lijphart), that seems to influence the view of my opponent. According to that theory, passivity and docility of, among others, Catholic people is unjustly assumed. Last but not least, my response aims to correct some inaccuracies and clear up some misunderstandings in my opponent’s critique.