Refined Research statement - Sylvie

I will be researching William F. Buckley, Jr.'s personal religiosity (he was a devout Catholic). I want to examine the connection between his Catholicism and his creation of the modern conservative movement: how did his faith shape his social and political values that made up this movement? How did the fact that he was Catholic while most others in the modern conservative movement that he was spearheading were Protestant effect his work? Were there conflicts over his religion? Modern conservatism is not a Catholic movement by any means, but many of the values that WFB professed seemed linked in part to his religion. How can we consider the roots of the movement and different camps of Christianity?

I plan to use the Hoover Archive as extensively as possible, though I realize that some of the Buckely papers there are of a financial nature (i.e. are concerned with his book contracts and the like) rather than a personal nature. I think that I will have to look at the papers of Buckley's colleagues and correspondents in order to get primary source material on him at Hoover.

Of course I will also use Buckley's published writings, but am hoping to find some letters and papers that can give me an insight into his personal religiosity a little more. It was suggested to me by our writing fellow, Julie, that I might look at WFB Sr.'s papers to get information on WFB Jr.'s childhood and adolescence I will be researching William F. Buckley, Jr.'s personal religiosity (he was a devout Catholic). I want to examine the connection between his Catholicism and his creation of the modern conservative movement: how did his faith shape his social and political values that made up this movement? How did the fact that he was Catholic while most others in the modern conservative movement that he was spearheading were Protestant effect his work? Were there conflicts over his religion? Modern conservatism is not a Catholic movement by any means, but many of the values that WFB professed seemed linked in part to his religion. How can we consider the roots of the movement and different camps of Christianity?

I plan to use the Hoover Archive as extensively as possible, though I realize that some of the Buckely papers there are of a financial nature (i.e. are concerned with his book contracts and the like) rather than a personal nature. I think that I will have to look at the papers of Buckley's colleagues and correspondents in order to get primary source material on him at Hoover.

Of course I will also use Buckley's published writings, but am hoping to find some letters and papers that can give me an insight into his personal religiosity a little more. It was suggested to me by our writing fellow, Julie, that I might look at WFB Sr.'s papers to get information on WFB Jr.'s childhood and adolescence, and the role of religion in the Buckley family household.