| Abstract: | This article examines how gender shaped the political cultureand political communities that developed among radical Catholicsin their direct action protests against the Vietnam War. Itsfocus is on the Catholic Left, an informally-organized but highlyinfluential group of resisters defined by their participationin the draft board raids made famous by the radical priestsDaniel and Philip Berrigan. Then as now, the grassroots natureof this movement disappeared in the shadow of the Berrigan brothers'fame. Women became the most notable victims of this phenomena,receiving little publicity or acclaim despite the fact thatthey played pivotal roles both behind the scenes and on thestreets. Using a combination of oral interviews and archivalsources, this article seeks to put these women back into thehistory of the Catholic Left and onto the front lines of a broaderunderstanding of the nature of political struggle. |
