The Chautauqua Moment: Protestants, Progressives, and the Culture of Modern Liberalism (Religion and American Culture (Columbia))

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating study of American culture
Review: Andrew Rieser examines the height of the Chautauqua movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This movement had its origins in Methodist camp meetings but expanded into a liberal education program that explored art, literature, religion, politics, and social issues. The Chautauqua Institution, in western New York, gave its name to this national movement. This vibrant summer resort still exists, but does not exert the same cultural power as it did at the end of the nineteenth century. As Rieser shows, despite the wide-ranging interests of Chautauqua participants, their view of social justice often overlooked racism and class conflict, which ultimately limited the significance of the institution.

This is the only book I have found that effectively places the Chautauqua institution in its historical, religious, and political context. I recommend this book for anyone interested in American religion, the middle-class, and the Gilded Age and Progressive era.