The Thomist Connection: Conversion, Culture, and Civilization in US Higher Education (1930s-1950s)

Objective

ThomUS investigates how Neo‑Thomism migrated from Europe to North America in the mid‑twentieth century, concentrating on the university networks shaped by Jacques Maritain and Étienne Gilson. Using interdisciplinary methods and network analysis, the project explores two interlocking layers: a) Student conversions and intellectual formation fostered in Catholic and non‑Catholic student clubs where the Summa and Western classics were read together. b) The rise of a “new humanism” that challenged the era’s prevailing pragmatism and scientism by reclaiming tradition, high culture, and a hierarchy of values—most visibly through the Great Books movement and broader efforts to reform the liberal arts. While acknowledging Neo‑Thomism’s enduring appeal, ThomUS also examines the challenges of articulating scholastic categories within a pluralist and pragmatist academic environment. The project considers the role played by figures at institutions such as Notre Dame, where Neo-Scholastic thought continued to inform curricular innovation and cultural engagement during a period of rapid intellectual change. Finally, ThomUS sheds light on a more recent phenomenon: the increasing number of U.S. politicians and public intellectuals turning to Catholicism, often through exposure to Dominican thinkers and academic settings shaped by Thomist frameworks. These conversions frequently reflect a broader disaffection with legal positivism and contractarian thought, and a renewed interest in natural law as a source of political and moral coherence—raising important questions about rights, authority, and the role of the secular state.