Catholic intellectuals played a major role in the cultural changes that took place within Dutch Catholicism during the years 1946-1975; many of their ideas served as a guideline, especially for Dutch churchleaders, eg, the bishops. A network analysis based on information about the formal & informal relations among intellectuals as well as their "citation-behavior" shows that there existed in the period several social circles within the Catholic intellectual elite. These social circles, ideological homogeneous collectivities consisting of individuals who frequently interacted, formed a necessary structural basis for the radicalization & influence of the intellectuals' ideas. 1 Table, 2 Appendixes, 13 References. AA
