From Criticism to Activism: Sociologists Influenced by the Catholic Worker Movement

This article traces the influence of the Catholic Worker Movement on a small set of sociologists: Paul Hanley Furfey, Gladys Sellew, Mary Elizabeth Walsh, Gordon Zahn, Michael Harrington (actually a political scientist), and the author. Experience with the Worker moved these sociologists into addressing several interrelated social issues: capitalism, militarism, racism, poverty, and homelessness primary among them. It also led them to some rather unusual forms of activism, ranging from living in interracial houses in poor neighborhoods during the 1930's to civil disobedience. The article concludes with an argument for incorporating such forms of activism into sociological practice.