The Catholic Church and Transnational Moral Norms in the Philippines: Contraception, Human Trafficking,...

— —

Jonathan T. Chow (University of Macau, Macau)

The Catholic Church and Transnational Moral Norms in the Philippines

Contraception, Human Trafficking, and Religion

Jonathan T. Chow (University of Macau, Macau)

$305

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Routledge
30 June 2025

Regional studies; Religion & politics; Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church; Sociology; International institutions

Series: Routledge Studies in Religion

Jonathan T. Chow explores the Roman Catholic Church’s engagement with transnational human rights norms and how its understandings of Catholic identity and doctrine have profoundly shaped the politics surrounding contraception and human trafficking in the Philippines.

In the global politics of morality, the Catholic Church is one of the world’s foremost practitioners, shaping not only the language of transnational moral norms but also how they are implemented at the domestic level. Through “norm thickening”—connecting transnational norms to deeply held local identities and religious teachings and institutionalizing those connections in policies, practices, and organizations—the book argues that the Church can build a more coherent and locally credible moral basis for transnational norms than international consensus alone. While in some cases, this can strengthen transnational norms and facilitate cooperation between the Church and the government, in other cases it can instead harden opposition to those norms and facilitate polarization, with significant consequences for Philippine society. Drawing on field interviews in the Philippines, as well as Vatican and UN documents, Chow paints a compelling picture of how one of the world’s largest religions shapes the global moral landscape.

This book will be of particular interest to students of religion, Catholic theology, human rights, international relations theory, and Asian studies, and anyone seeking to better understand the transnational politics of morality.

By: Jonathan T. Chow (University of Macau Macau)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 570g
ISBN: 9781138313880
ISBN 10: 1138313882
Series: Routledge Studies in Religion
Pages: 210
Publication Date: 30 June 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

1.“Cain, Where Is Your Brother?” 2. Norm Thickening and the Role of Religion 3. How the Catholic Church Thickens Transnational Moral Norms 4. Doctrinal Sources of the Catholic Church’s Approach to Contraception 5. Thickening Contraception Norms at the Intergovernmental Level 6. Thickening Contraception Norms in the Philippines 7. The Development of “Thin” Norms against Human Trafficking 8. How the Church Thickens Transnational Anti-Trafficking Norms 9. Thickening Anti-Trafficking Norms in the Philippines 10. Catholic Norm Thickening and the Power of Particular Morality

Jonathan T. Chow is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wheaton College, Massachusetts, USA. His research focuses on regional security in East and Southeast Asia and the transnational politics of religion and moral norms.