History and the Catholic Sixties: A Work in Progress

Abstract

The 1960s continue to fascinate historians and scholars, although their understandings of the decade’s meaning differ dramatically. The same is true for the Catholic Sixties. To date, no comprehensive history exists of the Catholic Sixties, although much has been written. Catholic scholars, such as Donald Thorman, Daniel Callahan, and John Noonan, among others, wrote seminal works during the 1960s, establishing the initial lens through which scholars came to view the decade. In 1972, three important works were published by David J. O’Brien, James Hitchcock, and Garry Wills; all three provided decidedly different approaches and critiques of the decade and all have influenced contemporary understandings of the decade. Several scholars provided interpretive schemas through which future historians may organize the decade, with Mark Massa’s work being the most important. Other historians focused on one aspect of the Sixties, which contributed to a deeper understanding. The many scholars and historians who have written to date provide much for future historians to consider.