Michelle Nickerson
Michelle Nickerson's "Spiritual Criminals" Shines Light on the Untold Story of the Camden 28
Michelle Nickerson, professor in the Department of History in the College of Arts of Sciences at Loyola University Chicago, recently published Spiritual Criminals: How the Camden 28 Put the Vietnam War on Trial (University of Chicago Press 2024).
In Spiritual Criminals, Nickerson tells the compelling true story of the Camden 28, a group of Catholic activists who broke into a draft board office in Camden, New Jersey, as an act of protest against the Vietnam War in 1971. The book examines the political activism of both men and women involved in the movement, with a special focus on how gender hierarchies and sexual tensions shaped the Catholic Left during that era.
“Dr. Nickerson’s outstanding research shines a light on an overlooked, albeit pivotal, chapter in our nation’s history through the lenses of history, faith and justice,” said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Her work is a testament to what can be achieved in terms of insight and understanding when we examine an issue from an interdisciplinary perspective.”
Nickerson hopes readers will come away from Spiritual Criminals feeling, “satisfaction from an incredible story, hope from its surprising ending, and discovery of untaught aspects of Catholic history in the United States—topics often overlooked in schools and churches.”
At Loyola, Nickerson teaches courses on the history of women and gender, U.S. politics, social movements, urban and suburban history, and American religion, with a particular focus on Catholicism.
“One of the best things about writing this book was doing so at Loyola,” Nickerson states. She credits support from the departments of theology, sociology, philosophy, and history, as well as faculty in the School of Law.
“I was so fortunate to have experts from these fields read drafts of chapters, helping in areas that represented new forms of knowledge to me,” said Nickerson.
Looking ahead, Nickerson is excited for her next project, which will document the life and career of Loyola’s Sister Carolyn Farrell, BVM, who served as mayor of Dubuque, Iowa, in 1980, and played a key role in Mundelein College’s merger with Loyola University Chicago.
In addition to her scholarly work, Nickerson is active in campus mission activities, such as the Damen Legacy Fellows Program. She also serves as a faculty affiliate for Loyola’s Institute for Racial Justice.
Nickerson’s research and the publication of Spiritual Criminals were supported by fellowships from the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage and the Gannon Center for Women and Leadership.
Learn more about Michelle Nickerson and Spiritual Criminals.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 37 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”
Michelle Nickerson, professor in the Department of History in the College of Arts of Sciences at Loyola University Chicago, recently published Spiritual Criminals: How the Camden 28 Put the Vietnam War on Trial (University of Chicago Press 2024).
In Spiritual Criminals, Nickerson tells the compelling true story of the Camden 28, a group of Catholic activists who broke into a draft board office in Camden, New Jersey, as an act of protest against the Vietnam War in 1971. The book examines the political activism of both men and women involved in the movement, with a special focus on how gender hierarchies and sexual tensions shaped the Catholic Left during that era.
“Dr. Nickerson’s outstanding research shines a light on an overlooked, albeit pivotal, chapter in our nation’s history through the lenses of history, faith and justice,” said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Her work is a testament to what can be achieved in terms of insight and understanding when we examine an issue from an interdisciplinary perspective.”
Nickerson hopes readers will come away from Spiritual Criminals feeling, “satisfaction from an incredible story, hope from its surprising ending, and discovery of untaught aspects of Catholic history in the United States—topics often overlooked in schools and churches.”
At Loyola, Nickerson teaches courses on the history of women and gender, U.S. politics, social movements, urban and suburban history, and American religion, with a particular focus on Catholicism.
“One of the best things about writing this book was doing so at Loyola,” Nickerson states. She credits support from the departments of theology, sociology, philosophy, and history, as well as faculty in the School of Law.
“I was so fortunate to have experts from these fields read drafts of chapters, helping in areas that represented new forms of knowledge to me,” said Nickerson.
Looking ahead, Nickerson is excited for her next project, which will document the life and career of Loyola’s Sister Carolyn Farrell, BVM, who served as mayor of Dubuque, Iowa, in 1980, and played a key role in Mundelein College’s merger with Loyola University Chicago.
In addition to her scholarly work, Nickerson is active in campus mission activities, such as the Damen Legacy Fellows Program. She also serves as a faculty affiliate for Loyola’s Institute for Racial Justice.
Nickerson’s research and the publication of Spiritual Criminals were supported by fellowships from the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage and the Gannon Center for Women and Leadership.
Learn more about Michelle Nickerson and Spiritual Criminals.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 37 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”