Description
Book SynopsisRethinking the means through which we can achieve economic well-being for all. In this timely book, Christine Firer Hinze looks back at the influential teachings of priest-economist Monsignor John A. Ryan (1869-1945), who supported worker justice and defended a living wage for all Americans in the first half of the twentieth century. Advancing Ryan’s efforts to articulate a persuasive plan for social reform, Hinze advocates for an action-oriented livelihood agenda that situates US working families’ economic pursuits within a comprehensive commitment to sustainable “radical sufficiency” for all. Documenting the daily lives and economic struggles of past and present US Catholic working-class families, Hinze explores the larger impulses and patterns—economic, cultural, political, moral, and spiritual—that affect the work these people perform in homes, in communities, and at paid jobs. Their story entwines with the larger history of the American dream and working people's pursuit of a dignified livelihood. Surveying this history with an eye to the dynamics of power and difference, Hinze rethinks Ryan’s ethics and Catholic social teaching to develop a new conception of a decent livelihood and its implications for contemporary policy and practice. The result is a critical Catholic economic ethic capable of addressing the situations of workers and families in the interdependent global economy of the twenty-first century. Radical Sufficiency offers transformative strategies and strategic policy directions for achieving the radical Christian goal of dignified work and a good livelihood for all.
Trade ReviewWith Radical Sufficiency, Christine Hinze has written an informative and fair-minded introduction to his life and work. Just as important, she has shown how the valuable aspects of his legacy can and should be carried forward by those striving to 'greatly, even radically amend the present system.' * Commonweal *
Firer Hinze’s treatment of Msgr. Ryan is strong, her chapter on consumerism excellent, and her criticism of the anthropology of the current 'economic orthodoxy' (neoliberal market orthodoxy) incisive. * Catholic Books Review *
This is a very well-researched and well-written book that will add to the debate over the purpose of economic activity and the moral shortcomings of the current system. * H-Diplo *
"A very fine work that evidences the mature reflection of a senior scholar who has long studied the subject matter, namely economic justice." * Theological Studies *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1. John A. Ryan's US Catholic Case for Worker Justice Chapter 2. Radicalizing Ryan Chapter 3. Gender and Economic Livelihood Chapter 4. Livelihood Racialized Chapter 5. Class, Inequality, and Livelihood Chapter 6. Livelihood Consumed Chapter 7. Toward a Radically Sufficient Economic Order Bibliography Index About the Author
