Religions And Development

For a long time, development studies largely overlooked religion, even though faith traditions have long been active in aid and social work. Major international bodies in particular rarely treated it as significant. More recently, policymakers, practitioners and researchers have started to take religion seriously as a factor in development. Emma Tomalin's text maps the different ways scholars have approached the links between religion, development theory, policy and practice. It walks students through the main debates and assesses a wide body of research, placing it within its wider theoretical frame.

The book looks at religion's effects in both directions. On the constructive side, it considers faith-based organisations and their work in schooling and healthcare. It also examines harder and more disputed cases, such as violence motivated by religion and the persistence of gender inequality. Three introductory chapters set out why religion matters to development studies, policy and practice, and explain the core concepts of 'development' and 'religion'. The later chapters turn to specific themes, including religion, gender and development, and what the resurgence of religion means for mainstream development thinking and programmes in the twenty-first century.

Written for undergraduates, the book includes learning objectives, discussion of key concepts, chapter summaries, discussion questions, and further reading and web resources in every chapter. More than sixty boxed case studies illustrate how religion and development interact around the world. It is also aimed at postgraduate students and scholars in religious studies, development studies, and the wider study of society and culture.