This research activity is supported under the Research Opportunities for Women - - Planning Grant Program. This award will allow the principal investigator to begin to assess the emergence of church and military participation in politics and the influence of this politicization on regime change.The investigator will develop a strategy for comparing the experiences of the Roman Catholic Church and the Armed Forces in the Phillipines with those in several Latin American countries. As a pilot project, this research builds on research and fieldwork conducted in the Phillipines and focuses on expanding the study to several Latin American countries. The investigator has a solid background for this type of research and the issues to be addressed are both timely and important. There is good reason to believe that, consistent with the objectives of the Research Opportunities for Women Program, this award may result in a successful follow-up proposal.
