Call for Papers for the thematic dossier: Catholicism(s) in the worlds of work, Revista Mundos do Trabalho volume 18 (2026).

Dossier Title: Catholicism(s) in the worlds of work

Organized by: Daniel McDonald (University of Oxford) and Larissa R. Corrêa (PUC-Rio)

Submission Deadline: August 17, 2026.

Abstract (Call for Papers):

This dossier aims to bring together studies dedicated to understanding the relationship between religion and the worlds of labor, with a specific focus on Catholicism between the 19th and 20th centuries. It is a fact that the number of faithful has been falling sharply in Brazil and throughout Latin America over the last few decades. However, it can be said that progressive Catholicism was one of the most influencing religions in the history of the working-class organization, although the importance of other beliefs, such as Protestantism, Judaism, and African-based religions, cannot be denied. We are interested in exploring the intertwining of Catholicism and labor relations, whether in rural or urban areas, in order to investigate how laborers were able to commit to Catholicism according to their own work experiences and interests, enabling new interpretations of Christian social doctrine from a “history seen from below.” It is equally important to deepen our understanding of the influence of Catholicism on the organization of the working-class, as well as on the development of labor legislation and the creation of transnational networks and entities. On the other hand, the dossier also aims to include research that addresses the influence of conservative Catholic movements aimed at containing the organization of the working class and redistributive and democratic social policies.

Thematic areas:
- Catholicism and working-class organizations (associations, trade unions, and internationalism);
- Catholicism and social movements focused on workers' actions;
- Catholicism and labor relations: spatiality, social and solidarity networks, circulation of ideas and social agents;
- The Catholic Church and distributive ideas, labor laws and rights;
- Anti-communist Catholic movements and leaders focused on organizing the working class in historical processes of authoritarianism;
- Working-class communities and Catholicism;
- Catholicism, work, and gender relations;
- The influences of other religions on the formation of the working- class in rural and urban areas;
- Catholicism, politics, and worlds of labor.