Philip Fountain
Victoria University of Wellington, Religious Studies, Faculty Member
- Development Studies, Anthropology of Development, Anthropology of Christianity, Asian Studies, Development and Religion(s), Humanitarianism, and 20 moreHumanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Ethnography, Southeast Asian Studies, Anthropology, Anabaptist Studies, Political Theology, Anthropology of Religion, Materiality (Anthropology), Indonesia, International Development, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Social and Cultural Anthropology, Religion, Humanitarian Intervention, Christianity, Social Anthropology, History of Missions, Religious Studies, Secularisms and Secularities, and Theologyedit
- I am a Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. My research focuses on the intersec... moreI am a Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. My research focuses on the intersections of religion and international aid and development. I received my PhD in anthropology from the Australian National University having conducted almost two years of ethnographic fieldwork on the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in the context of Indonesia. I also have research interests in religion and disasters, peace and social justice activism, anthropological theologies, and the history of development. I was previously a Senior Research Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.edit
This innovative and timely reassessment of political theology opens new lines of critical investigation into the intersections of religion and politics. Political Theologies and Development in Asia pioneers the theo-political analysis of... more
This innovative and timely reassessment of political theology opens new lines of critical investigation into the intersections of religion and politics. Political Theologies and Development in Asia pioneers the theo-political analysis of Asian politics and in so doing moves beyond a focus on the (Post-)Christian West that has to date dominated scholarly discussions on this theme. It also locates 'development' as a vital focus for critical investigations into Asian political theologies. The volume includes contributions by leading anthropologists, sociologists, and political scientists. Each chapter brings new theoretical approaches into conversation with detailed empirical case studies grounded in modern Asia. Not only does the volume illustrate the value of this approach to a diverse set of Asian societies and religions, but it also provides a forceful argument for why political theology itself requires this broader horizon to remain relevant and critical.
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The Mission of Development interrogates the complex relationships between Christian mission and international development in Asia from the 19th century to the new millennium. Through historically and ethnographically grounded case... more
The Mission of Development interrogates the complex relationships between Christian mission and international development in Asia from the 19th century to the new millennium. Through historically and ethnographically grounded case studies, contributors examine how missionaries have adapted to and shaped the age of development and processes of ‘technocratisation’, as well as how mission and development have sometimes come to be cast in opposition. The volume takes up an increasingly prominent strand in contemporary research that reverses the prior occlusion of the entanglements between religion and development. It breaks new ground through its analysis of the techno-politics of both development and mission, and by focusing on the importance of engagements and encounters in the field in Asia.
Research Interests: Asian Studies, Development Studies, Missiology, History of Christianity, Korean Studies, and 15 moreCambodia, Anthropology of Christianity, Christian Missions, Indonesia, Thailand, History of Religions, Development and Religion(s), China, Anthropology of Development, Japan, Religion and Development, Religious Studies, Sex Trafficking, Evangelical missionary networks, and History of Christian Missions
This is the table of contents for the special issue on 'Christianity and Development in the Pacific' edited by Philip Fountain and Geoff Troughton. https://sites.otago.ac.nz/Sites/issue/view/46
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COVER BLURB: This is a book about how New Zealanders have been inspired by visions for peace. Focusing on diverse Christian communities, it explores some of the ways that peace has influenced their practices, lifestyles and politics from... more
COVER BLURB: This is a book about how New Zealanders have been inspired by visions for peace. Focusing on diverse Christian communities, it explores some of the ways that peace has influenced their practices, lifestyles and politics from the Second World War to the present—the period in which New Zealand’s peaceable image and reputation as ‘God’s Own Country’ grew and flourished. New Zealand Christians and others have worked for peace in many different ways, from attention-grabbing protests against nuclear weapons, apartheid and war, to quieter but no less important efforts to improve relationships within their churches, communities and the natural environment. Taken together their stories reveal a multifaceted but deeply influential thread of Christian peacemaking within New Zealand culture. These stories are by turns challenging and inspiring, poignant and amusing, and they continue to reverberate today in a world where peace remains elusive for many.
CONTENTS
1. Introduction: Pursuing Peace in Godzone -- Geoffrey Troughton and Philip Fountain. 2. Barrington, Burton and the Challenge of Christian Pacifism in New Zealand -- Tom Noakes-Duncan. 3. A Historic Peace Church in Aotearoa New Zealand: Quakers and their Heritage -- Elizabeth Duke. 4. The Peace Squadron Revisited -- George Armstrong. 5. Revolution at the Kitchen Tables: Churches and the 1980s Peace Movement -- Peter Matheson. 6. The Treaty, the Church and the Reconciliation of Christ -- Karen Kemp. 7. Taranaki, Coventry and the Paths of Peace and Reconciliation -- Jamie Allen. 8. Maungarongo ki te Whenua: Te Ora Hou Making its Peace -- Mike Ross, Manu Caddie, Jono Campbell, and Judy Kumeroa. 9. Icons of Peace -- John Chote. 10. Missionary Peacemaking: New Zealand Activists and the Decolonisation of Southern Africa -- Pamela Welch. 11. Migrant Peacemakers? African Pentecostals in New Zealand -- Dorcas Dennis. 12. Ploughshares at Waihopai -- Adi Leason. 13. Restoring Karioi: Ecology, Community and the Practice of Peace -- Andrew Shepherd. 14. Are Contemporary Christian New Zealanders Committed to Peace? -- John H. Shaver, Chris G. Sibley, and Joseph A. Bulbulia. 15. Remembering Jesus on Anzac Day: Just War or Just Another War? -- Chris Marshall. 16. Afterword: Christianity and Peace in New Zealand -- Geoffrey Troughton and Philip Fountain.
CONTENTS
1. Introduction: Pursuing Peace in Godzone -- Geoffrey Troughton and Philip Fountain. 2. Barrington, Burton and the Challenge of Christian Pacifism in New Zealand -- Tom Noakes-Duncan. 3. A Historic Peace Church in Aotearoa New Zealand: Quakers and their Heritage -- Elizabeth Duke. 4. The Peace Squadron Revisited -- George Armstrong. 5. Revolution at the Kitchen Tables: Churches and the 1980s Peace Movement -- Peter Matheson. 6. The Treaty, the Church and the Reconciliation of Christ -- Karen Kemp. 7. Taranaki, Coventry and the Paths of Peace and Reconciliation -- Jamie Allen. 8. Maungarongo ki te Whenua: Te Ora Hou Making its Peace -- Mike Ross, Manu Caddie, Jono Campbell, and Judy Kumeroa. 9. Icons of Peace -- John Chote. 10. Missionary Peacemaking: New Zealand Activists and the Decolonisation of Southern Africa -- Pamela Welch. 11. Migrant Peacemakers? African Pentecostals in New Zealand -- Dorcas Dennis. 12. Ploughshares at Waihopai -- Adi Leason. 13. Restoring Karioi: Ecology, Community and the Practice of Peace -- Andrew Shepherd. 14. Are Contemporary Christian New Zealanders Committed to Peace? -- John H. Shaver, Chris G. Sibley, and Joseph A. Bulbulia. 15. Remembering Jesus on Anzac Day: Just War or Just Another War? -- Chris Marshall. 16. Afterword: Christianity and Peace in New Zealand -- Geoffrey Troughton and Philip Fountain.
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The articles in this special issue explore the complex dynamics at play in the intersections of religion and disaster relief in contemporary Asia. This special issue is premised on the conviction that the relationships between religion... more
The articles in this special issue explore the complex dynamics at play in the intersections of religion and disaster relief in contemporary Asia. This special issue is premised on the conviction that the relationships between religion and disaster relief - salvage and salvation - are good to think and theorize with as we work toward understanding the complexity and dynamic of diverse religious traditions in Asia.
Research Interests: Religion, Sociology of Religion, Japanese Studies, Southeast Asian Studies, Malaysia, and 13 moreIndonesia, Sri Lanka, Islamic Studies, Anthropology of humanitarism, Gujarat, Religious Studies, Anthropology of Disaster, Anthropology of Disasters, Acehnese history, Anthropology of Islam, Indian Stock Market, Anthropology of Religion, and Acehnese Studies
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This special issue seeks to provide greater attention to the neglected intersection between religion and disaster relief as an intellectually compelling field of study and as a domain deserving consideration among practitioners and policy... more
This special issue seeks to provide greater attention to the neglected intersection between religion and disaster relief as an intellectually compelling field of study and as a domain deserving consideration among practitioners and policy makers. This special issue begins with an interview with representatives of prominent humanitarian organizations, all of whom call for greater attention to the work of religious actors in disaster relief. The following case studies provide a textured empirical analysis of religious responses to disasters in contemporary Asia. By attending to particular contexts it is shown that religious actors can and do play important yet complex roles in relief processes.
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A popular view of contemporary New Zealand politics is that it is devoid of ‘religious’ dynamics, but the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic showed that religious ideals, cosmological paradigms, doctrinal discourses, and... more
A popular view of contemporary New Zealand politics is that it is devoid of ‘religious’ dynamics, but the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic showed that religious ideals, cosmological paradigms, doctrinal discourses, and ritual practices continue to shape political processes. This article analyses themes of transcendence and the sacred in the government’s handling of the Covid pandemic, themes that became fundamental to the daily management of the pandemic and its various effects. Drawing on scholarship on political theology, this article explores ideas of solidarity, sacrifice, sovereignty, and the iconic to facilitate a better understanding of the contestations over governance during a time of crisis.
A pdf of the paper is available in open access on the Counterfutures journal website: https://counterfutures.nz/14/Fountain.pdf
A pdf of the paper is available in open access on the Counterfutures journal website: https://counterfutures.nz/14/Fountain.pdf
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The centennial anniversary of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is an occasion for festive celebration. Founded in 1920 in Elkhart, Indiana, MCC evolved into a large and complex relief, development, and peacebuilding organization.... more
The centennial anniversary of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is an occasion for festive celebration. Founded in 1920 in Elkhart, Indiana, MCC evolved into a large and complex relief, development, and peacebuilding organization. Over its one hundred years, MCC has left a profound mark on North American Mennonites, including decisively shaping their identity as a “people of service.” MCC bridged vast geographical and cultural gaps by providing spaces for interaction and exchange including facilitating service opportunities for Mennonites in far-flung places around the world and supporting initiatives in Canada and the United States. Turning one hundred is no small achievement. In this paper, we take advantage of this auspicious juncture to think through the dynamics of MCC commemoration.
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An introduction to a special issue in the Journal of Mennonite Studies on Anthropology and Mennonites co-edited by Royden Loewen and Philip Fountain.
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The 2020 coronavirus pandemic has caused disruption on a global scale, impacting on many facets of life. Religions are invariably implicated in such times of crisis in diverse ways. But how should we think about what is taking place... more
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic has caused disruption on a global scale, impacting on many facets of life. Religions are invariably implicated in such times of crisis in diverse ways. But how should we think about what is taking place religiously at the present time?
This short article considers the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of 'crisis religion', exploring ways that religions are responding and being reshaped by the disruption of this epoch-making global event. Reflecting on developments from the vantage point of New Zealand, it encourages analysis that pushes beyond commonly employed frames of reactionary, resurgent or repugnant religion.
This short article considers the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of 'crisis religion', exploring ways that religions are responding and being reshaped by the disruption of this epoch-making global event. Reflecting on developments from the vantage point of New Zealand, it encourages analysis that pushes beyond commonly employed frames of reactionary, resurgent or repugnant religion.
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Although a significant literature has arisen examining the intersections of Christianity and development in the Pacific, these themes have yet to receive the full attention they deserve. This special issue seeks to encourage further... more
Although a significant literature has arisen examining the intersections of Christianity and development in the Pacific, these themes have yet to receive the full attention they deserve. This special issue seeks to encourage further scholarship on these important themes. In this introduction we trace some of the entanglements between religion and development in Pacific history and suggest some productive future research trajectories.
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Religion has been profoundly reconfigured in the age of development. Over the past half century, we can trace broad transformations in the understandings and experiences of religion across traditions in communities in many parts of the... more
Religion has been profoundly reconfigured in the age of development. Over the past half century, we can trace broad transformations in the understandings and experiences of religion across traditions in communities in many parts of the world. In this paper, we delineate some of the specific ways in which 'religion' and 'development' interact and mutually inform each other with reference to case studies from Buddhist Thailand and Muslim Indonesia. These non-Christian cases from traditions outside contexts of major western nations provide windows on a complex, global history that considerably complicates what have come to be established narratives privileging the agency of major institutional players in the United States and the United Kingdom. In this way we seek to move discussions toward more conceptual and comparative reflections that can facilitate better understandings of the implications of contemporary entanglements of religion and development. A Sarvodaya Shramadana work camp has proved to be the most effective means of destroying the inertia of any moribund village community and of evoking appreciation of its own inherent strength and directing it towards the objective of improving its own conditions.
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One area of tension between the disciplines of anthropology and theology is the question of normativity—an invocation to be otherwise. Some imagine a sharp bifurcation between the disciplines, with anthropologists concerned with thick... more
One area of tension between the disciplines of anthropology and theology is the question of normativity—an invocation to be otherwise. Some imagine a sharp bifurcation between the disciplines, with anthropologists concerned with thick description of human life-worlds whereas theologians practice a normative endeavour in their attempt to propel their audience toward a desired telos. This article interrogates these assumptions by re-examining the relationship between description and normativity. Through explorations of recent theological and anthropological arguments on these themes, we propose that the relation between these orientations is not as clear-cut as it first would seem. Each discipline has both normative and descriptive impulses, and these are never entirely disentangled. Indeed, we argue that anthropologists and theologians have much to learn from each other about their respective normativities.
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New Zealanders often express pride in their nation’s long-standing reputation for peace. That irenic perception became embedded in the national DNA after the Second World War, when New Zealand took on a more independent foreign policy.... more
New Zealanders often express pride in their nation’s long-standing reputation for peace. That irenic perception became embedded in the national DNA after the Second World War, when New Zealand took on a more independent foreign policy. Many New Zealanders cherished their country’s role in founding the United Nations, and lauded our commitment to global peacekeeping. World-leading opposition to nuclear weapons and contributions to the anti-apartheid movement in the 1970s and 80s became the stuff of legends. New Zealand’s internal conflicts, given what we read daily about tensions elsewhere, seem relatively benign. Just quietly, Kiwis are pretty chuffed at how the world perceives us, and how we stack up on international scales like the Global Peace Index (second in 2017) and World Happiness Report (eighth in 2017). This perception of peacefulness is not without merit, but to be truthful, we need to complicate that too-rosy picture.
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It has become one of the most commonplace and influential ideas about religion: that it is the cause of much, if not most, of the conflict and violence in the world. While this is not a new idea — religious passions have long been deemed... more
It has become one of the most commonplace and influential ideas about religion: that it is the cause of much, if not most, of the conflict and violence in the world. While this is not a new idea — religious passions have long been deemed suspect for their potential to causes divisions — the notion that religion is intrinsically violence-inducing has become much more deeply ingrained in recent times.
This image of religion as a primary propagator of violence runs strangely counter to a lot of influential theorising about religion. From Émile Durkheim and Max Weber onward, religion has been seen as a mechanism for binding people together. Some scholars even think the term 'religion' comes from the Latin term 'religare', meaning 'to bind'. As with many popular myths, it is worth taking a second look and scratching below the rhetorical surface. It is worth asking, as bona fide questions: Is religion intrinsically violent? If not, can this be said of all religions, all of the time, or of just some religions at particular times? If so, which ones and when? What does New Zealand's experience tell us?
This image of religion as a primary propagator of violence runs strangely counter to a lot of influential theorising about religion. From Émile Durkheim and Max Weber onward, religion has been seen as a mechanism for binding people together. Some scholars even think the term 'religion' comes from the Latin term 'religare', meaning 'to bind'. As with many popular myths, it is worth taking a second look and scratching below the rhetorical surface. It is worth asking, as bona fide questions: Is religion intrinsically violent? If not, can this be said of all religions, all of the time, or of just some religions at particular times? If so, which ones and when? What does New Zealand's experience tell us?
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As Development Studies scholars have long argued, the rapid and remarkable growth of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) since the Second World War has amounted to nothing less than an institutional revolution of the ways in which people... more
As Development Studies scholars have long argued, the rapid and remarkable growth of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) since the Second World War has amounted to nothing less than an institutional revolution of the ways in which people around the world organise themselves. But while the scholarly literature on NGOs is vast, and continuing to grow, some themes in the history of NGOs have attracted more attention than others. One remarkable feature is that, historically, relatively little attention has been paid to questions of religion. See: http://www.qeh.ox.ac.uk/blog/religion-and-ngos-understanding-new-global-configurations-humanitarian-development-and-%E2%80%98faith
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Philip Fountain & R. Michael Feener, “Navigating a world of religious NGOs: Ethnography, abstraction, and views of the horizon,” Geography Compass 11(10) · October 2017;11:e12328 Since the turn of the twenty-first century, there has... more
Philip Fountain & R. Michael Feener,
“Navigating a world of religious NGOs:
Ethnography, abstraction, and views of the horizon,”
Geography Compass 11(10) · October 2017;11:e12328
Since the turn of the twenty-first century, there has been a prodigious production of typological studies seeking to “map” religious NGOs. In this paper, our intention is not to construct yet another new map of religious NGOs, or even to map these earlier mappings. Rather we would like to open up here some new conversations about the ways in which we might better understand, appreciate, and build upon work that has been done to date on NGOs at the intersection of religion and development. In doing this, we explore some alternative technologies for the navigation of this brave new world.
Full text available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/gec3.12328
“Navigating a world of religious NGOs:
Ethnography, abstraction, and views of the horizon,”
Geography Compass 11(10) · October 2017;11:e12328
Since the turn of the twenty-first century, there has been a prodigious production of typological studies seeking to “map” religious NGOs. In this paper, our intention is not to construct yet another new map of religious NGOs, or even to map these earlier mappings. Rather we would like to open up here some new conversations about the ways in which we might better understand, appreciate, and build upon work that has been done to date on NGOs at the intersection of religion and development. In doing this, we explore some alternative technologies for the navigation of this brave new world.
Full text available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/gec3.12328
Research Interests:
This ethnography examines the disaster relief work of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Aceh, Indonesia, following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. MCC's work is informed by the theologies and historical experiences of the North... more
This ethnography examines the disaster relief work of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Aceh, Indonesia, following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. MCC's work is informed by the theologies and historical experiences of the North American Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. An intentional focus of mcc's work was a substantive interfaith encounter between MCC workers , all of whom identified as Christian, and Acehnese Muslims. Through an examination of interpersonal relationships, organizational partnerships, and materiality, I trace the ambiguities and transformative potential within these interactions. Encounters are not simply the unfurling of predetermined scripts, but rather dynamic spaces of negotiation. Focusing on encounters counteracts tendencies to reify and essentialize religious disaster relief.
Research Interests: Religion, Christianity, Asian Studies, Anthropology, Development Studies, and 16 moreHumanitarianism, Disaster Studies, Indonesian Studies, Anabaptism, Anthropology of Christianity, Indonesia, Humanitarian Intervention, Development and Religion(s), Tsunami, Interfaith Dialogue, Religious Studies, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Mennonites, Anthropology of Religion, Mennonite Studies, and Ethics of Humanitarian Intervention
What does it mean to offer salvation in the midst of disaster? This is the question that animates the articles in this special issue, all of which probe the complex dynamics at play in the intersections of religion and disaster relief in... more
What does it mean to offer salvation in the midst of disaster? This is the question that animates the articles in this special issue, all of which probe the complex dynamics at play in the intersections of religion and disaster relief in contemporary Asia. Here, we seek to advance inquiry into the conceptual categories of " religion, " " disaster, " " relief, " and " Asia " by drawing on recent theoretical advances across a variety of disciplines.
Research Interests: Christianity, Buddhism, Asian Studies, Japanese Studies, Southeast Asian Studies, and 13 moreHumanitarianism, Disaster Studies, Disaster risk management, Hazards (Disaster Studies), Theory of Religion, Shinto Studies, Humanitarian Intervention, Development and Religion(s), Method and Theory in the Study of Religion, Disaster Management, Islam, Religious Studies, and Anthropology of Religion
The neglected intersection between religion and disaster relief should be given much greater attention. This emerging field is an intellectually compelling area for study, though much work stills needs to be done to explore the processes... more
The neglected intersection between religion and disaster relief should be given much greater attention. This emerging field is an intellectually compelling area for study, though much work stills needs to be done to explore the processes that take place on the ground in different settings. It is also important for practitioners and policy makers involved in disaster response to have a nuanced understanding of the work that religious actors undertake. This special issue begins with an interview with representatives of prominent humanitarian organizations, all of whom call for greater attention to the work of religious actors in disaster relief. The following case studies provide a textured empirical analysis of religious responses to disasters in contemporary Asia. By attending to particular contexts it is shown that religious actors can and do play important yet complex roles in relief processes. This special issue – edited by Philip Fountain, Robin Bush, and R. Michael Feener – aims to critically examine these diverse intersections and also help set future research agendas on the subject.
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Development scholarship in the social sciences has an awkward relationship with development things, often ignoring or sidelining materiality for analysis of cultures, discourses and power dynamics. Yet things are pivotal for how... more
Development scholarship in the social sciences has an awkward relationship with development things, often ignoring or sidelining materiality for analysis of cultures, discourses and power dynamics. Yet things are pivotal for how development works. This paper brings the anthropology of development into conversation with the burgeoning field of the anthropology of materiality. It focuses on a particular development thing: canned meat. The Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a North American Christian NGO, has facilitated the production of canned meat for relief since the mid-1940s. Despite ideological shifts in conceptualising development, fluctuating financial constraints, changing hygiene regulations, arguments over labels, and the spectre of mad cow disease, canned meat remains a fixture in MCC’s programmatic repertoire. Every winter 10,000 volunteers from rural Mennonite communities can a million pounds of meat for relief. In tracing the surprising voyages of canned meat to Indonesia I probe into how material things might be relocated as a vital area of research on development and in so doing open new lines of investigation. Specifically, and despite the apparent paradox, I propose that a
focus on material things can help invigorate research into the emerging field of ‘religion and development’ by drawing attention to what can be called the theological life of things.
focus on material things can help invigorate research into the emerging field of ‘religion and development’ by drawing attention to what can be called the theological life of things.
Research Interests: Development Studies, Ethnography, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Anthropology of Christianity, Indonesia, and 11 moreDevelopment and Religion(s), Anthropology of Development, Materiality (Anthropology), Religion and Development, Containers, Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonites, Anthropology of Religion, Canned Meat, Theological Life of Things, and Anthropology and the Imagination
In a remarkable about-turn, development studies has discovered religion and considerable attention is now dedicated to analysing religious NGOs. But what is this ‘religion’ that is being so widely discussed? Through a close reading of key... more
In a remarkable about-turn, development studies has discovered religion and considerable attention is now dedicated to analysing religious NGOs. But what is this ‘religion’ that is being so widely discussed? Through a close reading of key texts, this chapter examines how religion has been constructed, and for what purposes. While development scholars have given little attention to definitional concerns, a default conceptualisation – substantivist, essentialised, ahistorical and universal – is nevertheless apparent. A pervasive secular-religious dichotomy is implicit within this conceptualisation, constructing development as located within the secular domain, set apart from religion. Drawing upon critical scholars of religion, this chapter argues that development studies has perpetuated a ‘myth of religious NGOs.’ This myth arbitrarily assigns to a diverse set of development actors the status of abnormal, if still potentially useful, religious Other(s). The myth conceals the historical specificity and value-laden nature of mainstream development. The current vogue for abstracted discussions of religion should be replaced with closer attention to specific practices and particular traditions, including secular development. Studies should also show greater awareness of the political uses of ‘religion’.
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Après une incroyable volte-face, les spécialistes du développement ont enfin redécouvert le rôle de la religion et s’attachent désormais à étudier sérieusement les ONG religieuses. Mais quelle est cette « religion » dont il est tant... more
Après une incroyable volte-face, les spécialistes du développement ont enfin redécouvert le rôle de la religion et s’attachent désormais à étudier sérieusement les ONG religieuses. Mais quelle est cette « religion » dont il est tant question ? En s’appuyant sur une lecture attentive de quelques textes de référence, cet article explore la manière dont la religion a été construite et à quelles fins. Alors que les théoriciens du développement n’ont guère prêté attention aux questions de définition, une certaine conceptualisation par défaut – substantialiste, essentialisée, sans fondement historique et universelle – se dégage toutefois. Marquée par l’opposition omniprésente entre laïcité et religion, l’idée de développement y est apparentée à tout ce qui relève de la sphère séculière, en marge de la religion. S’inspirant des travaux d’éminents spécialistes de la religion, cet article démontre comment les études du développement perpétuent le « mythe des ONG religieuses », mythe qui renvoie de manière arbitraire divers acteurs du développement au statut d’« Autre religieux anormal » quand bien même il pourrait encore être utile. Ainsi la spécificité historique du développement dominant de même que sa nature chargée de valeurs sont-elles totalement occultées. Au lieu des grandes discussions abstraites sur la religion aujourd’hui à la mode, on ferait mieux de porter une attention minutieuse aux pratiques spécifiques et aux traditions particulières, y compris au développement séculier, et de s’intéresser davantage aux instrumentalisations politiques de la « religion ».
Dans ses commentaires pertinents et réfléchis de mon article, Katherine Marshall soulève un certain nombre d’objections importantes. Sa principale critique à mon égard semble néanmoins porter sur le fait que je n’ai pas écrit un article... more
Dans ses commentaires pertinents et réfléchis de mon article, Katherine Marshall soulève un certain nombre d’objections importantes. Sa principale critique à mon égard semble néanmoins porter sur le fait que je n’ai pas écrit un article différent. Afin de clarifier les choses, mon intention n’était nullement de présenter une revue d’ensemble des travaux sur « la religion et le développement » (ce qui a déjà été admirablement accompli par Ben Jones et Marie Juul Petersen, que je cite dans mon article), ni de tenter de proposer une analyse systématique du corpus exhaustif de Katherine Marshall et de son évolution dans le temps, ni même de suggérer avec précision et force de détails des orientations à suivre dorénavant. Aussi utiles et précieuses qu’elles puissent être, aucune de ces tâches n’était visée par mes propos, même si certaines s’avèrent sans doute plus urgentes que l’argument que je défends.
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بعد تغيير مفاجئ وعجيب في الموقف، يكتشف المتخصصون في التنمية مجددا و أخيرا، دور الدين وينهمكون بجدية منذ الآن في دراسة المنظمات اللاحكومية (ONG) الدينية. لكن ما هو هذا "الدين" الذي يدور الحديث بصدده إلى هذا الحد ؟ بالارتكاز الى قراءة... more
بعد تغيير مفاجئ وعجيب في الموقف، يكتشف المتخصصون في التنمية مجددا و أخيرا، دور الدين وينهمكون بجدية منذ الآن في دراسة المنظمات اللاحكومية (ONG) الدينية. لكن ما هو هذا "الدين" الذي يدور الحديث بصدده إلى هذا الحد ؟ بالارتكاز الى قراءة متأنية لبعض النصوص المرجعية، يتحرى هذا المقال عن الأسلوب الذي بْنِي على أساسه الدين وما هي الغايات من ذلك. في الوقت الذي لم يول فيه منظرو التنمية مطلقا عناية بمسائل التعريف، يستخلص مع ذلك، تصور افتراضي– جوهراني، ماهوي، مجرد من اي أساس تاريخي وكوني. إن فكرة التنمية التي يطبعها التعارض السائد بين اللائكية والدين، تشبه كل ما له علاقة بالميدان العلماني، على هامش نطاق الدين. تكشف هذه المقالة التي تستلهم من أبحاث مختصين متضلعين في الدين، كيف أن دراسات التنمية تؤبد "أسطورة المنظمات اللاحكومية الدينية"، وهي الأسطورة التي تحيل بطريقة تعسفية مختلف فاعلي التنمية إلى مكانة "آخر ديني لا سوي"، رغم أنه قد يكون نافعا. هكذا، فان الخصوصية التاريخية للتنمية السائدة كما طبيعتها المشحونة بالقيم مغيبة تماما. وبدلا من النقاشات الكبيرة المجردة حول الدين التي تشكل اليوم موضة، يكون من المفضل لدينا إبداء عناية دقيقة بالممارسات الخصوصية والتقاليد النوعية بما فيها التنمية العلمانية والاهتمام أكثر بالتوظيفات السياسية لـ"الدين".
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The discipline of anthropology is dominated by a secular analytical approach which requires the bounding of religion and its exclusion from anthropological ways-of-knowing. This is premised on a historical understanding of the discipline... more
The discipline of anthropology is dominated by a secular analytical approach which requires the bounding of religion and its exclusion from anthropological ways-of-knowing. This is premised on a historical understanding of the discipline as scientific, rational, objective and modern. While these norms are now routinely critiqued, theology remains peculiarly marginalised. This article probes the contours of an anthropology beyond the secular which involves both critical reflection on the secularity of the discipline and a willingness to experiment with new ways of doing anthropology with/in theology.
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In a ground-breaking article Joel Robbins analysed what he characterises as the ‘awkward’ relationship between anthropology and theology and invited greater anthropological engagement with its disciplinary cousin. This Special Issue... more
In a ground-breaking article Joel Robbins analysed what he characterises as the ‘awkward’ relationship between anthropology and theology and invited greater anthropological engagement with its disciplinary cousin. This Special Issue responds to this provocation by using Robbins' argument as a bouncing board for wide-ranging forays into a common set of concerns. In investigating anthropological theologies the collection critically attends to the kinds of engagements and encounters that already take place and also lays out future agendas for further interactions. We call for an anthropology that is open to provisional, dialogic and potentially transformative interactions across diverse theologies and suggest that such a move will help shed light on the possibilities of re-modelling the practice of anthropology.
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Long privileged as a sacred pilgrimage and a rites de passage of neophyte anthropologists, fieldwork is also a place haunted by ethical challenges. This paper examines the moral perils of fieldwork by drawing on my experiences of... more
Long privileged as a sacred pilgrimage and a rites de passage of neophyte anthropologists, fieldwork is also a place haunted by ethical challenges. This paper examines the moral perils of fieldwork by drawing on my experiences of ethnographic research. I argue that while perilous fieldwork remains an extraordinary strength of the discipline and continues to be a profoundly valuable pedagogical tool. Each of the dangers of fieldwork insofar as they evoke feelings of concern, anxiety and tension are deeply productive for good ethnography.
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If there is one label Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) international service workers do not want, it is that of contemporary colonizers. The mere suggestion that they operate as such invariably invokes tangible quivers of disgust. MCC... more
If there is one label Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) international service workers do not want, it is that of contemporary colonizers. The mere suggestion that they operate as such invariably invokes tangible quivers of disgust. MCC has invested substantial institutional effort into enacting a model of Christian service which aspires to the precise antithesis of colonial imposition.Yet, while this reaction is remarkably consistent across an often diffuse organization, the fact is that MCC’s work in numerous contexts has unfolded against a backdrop of colonial systems in which MCC has inevitably become intertwined. The history of MCC in Indonesia shows
how MCC can be enmeshed in local political ecologies that pose challenges to the performance of Mennonite theologies and practices of anti-colonialism.
how MCC can be enmeshed in local political ecologies that pose challenges to the performance of Mennonite theologies and practices of anti-colonialism.
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THE WOUNDS OF this world—ecological and humanitarian—require a re-thinking of our educational systems. Building upon a shalom model of education, the authors argue that questions of space and location are critically important to Christian... more
THE WOUNDS OF this world—ecological and humanitarian—require a re-thinking of our educational systems. Building upon a shalom model of education, the authors argue that questions of space and location are critically important to Christian pedagogies. Our education praxis must move beyond the classroom to engage students empathetically in the world around us. Doing so will necessarily be a subversive endeavor. The Creation Care Study Program in Belize is presented as a case study of "study abroad" and field-intensive education.
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This paper considers the links between religion and disaster relief through a detailed case study of the activities of Christian churches following the Aitape tsunami of 1998 in northwest Papua New Guinea. Based on primary fieldwork data,... more
This paper considers the links between religion and disaster relief through a detailed case study of the activities of Christian churches following the Aitape tsunami of 1998 in northwest Papua New Guinea. Based on primary fieldwork data, we argue that Christian religion was central to the way in which the Combined Churches Organization conducted its relief work and to why it sought to undertake it in the first place. A comparison of the perspectives of this organization and of other religious and governmental organizations as to the causes of this disaster and what remedies they should undertake suggests that greater attention should be paid—both by aid and development researchers and practitioners—to aspects of religious belief and the way they inform theory and practice. Much remains to explore concerning the ways religion informs the theory and practice of aid and development, particularly in the Pacific. Through the detailed case study offered here, this paper adds to the fledgling debate engaging with the links between religion and development and calls for the initiation of an agenda toward that end.
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The political theology of development in Asia makes a vital contribution to our understanding of configurations and genealogies of the political. Recent scholarship on political theology has amply illustrated the critical potentialities... more
The political theology of development in Asia makes a vital contribution to our understanding of configurations and genealogies of the political. Recent scholarship on political theology has amply illustrated the critical potentialities of examining the theological remainder in even the most secular of modern institutions. However, scholarship on political theology to date has primarily involved tracing the presence of Christian theologies within Western institutions. By shifting the focus to Asia, we not only expand the geographical frame of analysis, but also seek a broader reconceptualisation of the field of political theology. Our focus on development-as a set of transnational networks that connect Western and Asian modernities in complex political and religious entanglements-enables fresh critical analysis of the ways in which the theo-political is imagined, materialised, and contested in and beyond the state. We argue that notions of transcendence, sacrifice and victimhood, and aspiration and salvation are especially valuable for understanding how development is lived and experienced around diverse Asian contexts today.
In Bolotta, G., Fountain, P. and Feener R.M (eds.) (2020), Political Theologies and Development in Asia: Transcendence, Sacrifice and Aspiration. Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp. 1-17.
In Bolotta, G., Fountain, P. and Feener R.M (eds.) (2020), Political Theologies and Development in Asia: Transcendence, Sacrifice and Aspiration. Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp. 1-17.
In this Afterword to the book Pursuing Peace in Godzone we draw together key themes from the book as a whole. We consider whether it is possible to discern a "Christian peace tradition" in New Zealand, exploring areas of continuity and... more
In this Afterword to the book Pursuing Peace in Godzone we draw together key themes from the book as a whole. We consider whether it is possible to discern a "Christian peace tradition" in New Zealand, exploring areas of continuity and disjuncture. We also outline an agenda for future research focused on peacemaking and activist Christianities. Our argument for the examination of discourses, practices, communities and connections emphasises the value of these themes for understanding New Zealand Christianity and the place of peace within it. These themes could also be productively applied elsewhere.
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In this introductory chapter to the book Pursuing Peace in Godzone we outline the approach of the book as a whole. Our concern is with the ways that specifically Christian communities have engaged with peacemaking in New Zealand. The book... more
In this introductory chapter to the book Pursuing Peace in Godzone we outline the approach of the book as a whole. Our concern is with the ways that specifically Christian communities have engaged with peacemaking in New Zealand. The book explores the contours of Christian action on a range of fronts: ethical, institutional, theological. New Zealand Christianity is diverse, and Christian engagements with peace have reflected this diversity, in their varied conceptions of peacemaking and in the different methods they have employed. We emphasise questions of imagination and practice; the ways in which peace has been envisioned, embodied and enacted within particular communities, in connection with New Zealand society more broadly, and in relation to international currents.
Research Interests: Religion, Christianity, Ethics, Peace and Conflict Studies, History of Christianity, and 22 moreMissionary History, Social Activism, Presbyterianism, Quaker Studies, Peace Movements, Anglicanism (Anglicanism), Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding, Church History, History of New Zealand, Pentecostalism, Peace & Conflict Studies, Peace Studies, Methodism, Peace Education, Peace, Peacebuilding, New Zealand, Catholic Church History, Maori, Security and Peace Studies, Peace & Reconciliation, and Peace and Conflicts Studies
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This volume, and the discussions out of which it developed, has aimed to expand upon and redirect work on the intersections of religion and development through examinations — on both conceptual and ethnographic levels — of the changing... more
This volume, and the discussions out of which it developed, has aimed to expand upon and redirect work on the intersections of religion and development through examinations — on both conceptual and ethnographic levels — of the changing configurations of these categories within and across particular political contexts. In the late 1990s, a number of major development donors “re-discovered” religion, and against a long history of neglect and omission, began a remarkable new phase of proactive engagement (Jones and Petersen 2011; Marshall and Keough 2004; Rees 2011). Following on from this, the topic of religion and development has received increasing attention in international development circles, as scholars, practitioners, and policymakers sought to understand religious actors and the relevance of religion to their work. This has generated a significant number of reports, conferences, policy statements, and academic commentary.
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One of the most frequent questions asked of me by new acquaintances when they learn about my ethnographic research into the Mennonite Central Committee, a North American Christian development organization, and its work in the context of... more
One of the most frequent questions asked of me by new acquaintances when they learn about my ethnographic research into the Mennonite Central Committee, a North American Christian development organization, and its work in the context of Indonesia, is: Do they proselytize? The sheer predictability of the question in both academic and development industry contexts would be a bore if it was not also so thoroughly revealing. The fact that ‘religious NGOs’ are imagined as having a predilection for illegitimate extensions of religious concerns says something important about the imaginations at work. The question almost always presumes that there is something inherently illegitimate, immoral, or just downright distasteful when development is intermixed with religious propagation. In fact, this is a veritable article of faith in development circles and suggesting otherwise is tantamount to heresy. Proselytism is arguably the prickliest subject in the emerging field of religion and development.
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For quite some time now numerous prophets have declared the death of development, but it turns out that development is not so easy to kill. This presentation plays with themes of 'develicide’ while introducing the research program on... more
For quite some time now numerous prophets have declared the death of development, but it turns out that development is not so easy to kill. This presentation plays with themes of 'develicide’ while introducing the research program on Religion and Development in Asia, pursued by a research team over the last few years at the Asia Research Institute, National University of SIngapore. The paper was delivered at the conference on ‘Rethinking Development Studies in Southeast Asia: State of Knowledge and Challenges’, Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD), Chiang Mai University, 7-8 March 2015.
Research Interests: Asian Studies, Development Studies, Southeast Asian Studies, Disaster Studies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and 6 moreDevelopment and Religion(s), NGOs (Anthropology), Religion and Development, Religious Studies, Critical Development Studies, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
In her seminal introduction to The Anthropology of Christianity Fenella Cannell (2006) asks ‘What difference does Christianity make?’ The motif of Christianity as radical disjuncture is prominent in the conversion narratives of certain... more
In her seminal introduction to The Anthropology of Christianity Fenella Cannell (2006) asks ‘What difference does Christianity make?’ The motif of Christianity as radical disjuncture is prominent in the conversion narratives of certain kinds of Christianity, as well as in the long-standing Christian emphasis on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as decisively transformative. But Cannell warns against assuming that Christianity always necessarily results in radical change. The differences Christianity makes might not always take expected forms or unfold along anticipated routes. The problem of Christian difference is a compelling line of inquiry, and not just in regard to its effects on an imagined ‘religious’ sphere, but right across diverse social institutions and cultural practices.
This paper was the introduction to the conference on 'Christianity, Anthropology and the Problem of Difference' held at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore on 27 February 2015. The conference was organised by Bernardo Brown. The introduction was presented by Philip Fountain and Michael Feener. For further details about the conference see: http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/events_categorydetails.asp?categoryid=6&eventid=1601
This paper was the introduction to the conference on 'Christianity, Anthropology and the Problem of Difference' held at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore on 27 February 2015. The conference was organised by Bernardo Brown. The introduction was presented by Philip Fountain and Michael Feener. For further details about the conference see: http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/events_categorydetails.asp?categoryid=6&eventid=1601
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A panel discussion was convened at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva which brought together a number of authors and editors who contributed to the International Development Policy special issue on... more
A panel discussion was convened at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva which brought together a number of authors and editors who contributed to the International Development Policy special issue on Religion and Development. The link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-wyC1ZHZH4&feature=share) provides a connection to a youtube-hosted video of the event. My presentation starts at about 51 minutes into the video. For the conference program see: http://devpol.hypotheses.org/463
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Over the past decade scholarship on the intersections between religion and disaster relief has advanced rapidly with a series of important studies making innovative forays into their complex relationships. Such attention is long overdue... more
Over the past decade scholarship on the intersections between religion and disaster relief has advanced rapidly with a series of important studies making innovative forays into their complex relationships. Such attention is long overdue for, as this emerging research is showing, contemporary humanitarian action has clear roots in religious traditions and, moreover, a diverse set of actors affiliated with Christian, Islamic, Buddhist etc. traditions are often active and influential in shaping disaster responses. Yet there
remains a pressing need for detailed empirical research into actual actors and practices and also for the development of more sophisticated conceptual frameworks for approaching the subject. This seminar is focused on the second of these tasks. Through critical engagement with three recent books – Riesebrodt’s The Promise of Salvation, Barnett’s Empire of Humanity, and Huet’s The Culture of Disaster – I seek to re‐think the ways that the entanglements of religion and disaster relief are analysed and, following on from this, I point to how this might be put to work in the research agenda on this topic in the Asian region.
remains a pressing need for detailed empirical research into actual actors and practices and also for the development of more sophisticated conceptual frameworks for approaching the subject. This seminar is focused on the second of these tasks. Through critical engagement with three recent books – Riesebrodt’s The Promise of Salvation, Barnett’s Empire of Humanity, and Huet’s The Culture of Disaster – I seek to re‐think the ways that the entanglements of religion and disaster relief are analysed and, following on from this, I point to how this might be put to work in the research agenda on this topic in the Asian region.
Research Interests: Asian Studies, Development Studies, Humanitarianism, Disaster Studies, Humanitarian Intervention, and 8 moreDevelopment and Religion(s), Religious Studies, Disaster Culture, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Disaster And Religion, Marie‐Hélène Huet 'The Culture of Disaster', Martin Riesebrodt 'The Promise of Salvation', and Michael Barnett 'Empire of Humanity'
Perhaps the prickliest subject in the emerging field of ‘religion and development’ concerns the question of proselytisation. The melding of religious propagation with development and humanitarian activity is widely regarded as immoral,... more
Perhaps the prickliest subject in the emerging field of ‘religion and development’ concerns the question of proselytisation. The melding of religious propagation with development and humanitarian activity is widely regarded as immoral, illegitimate and distasteful. This separation has become such a prominent article of faith in development circles that any suggestion otherwise is tantamount to heresy. In this seminar I seek to re-think this apparently settled consensus. Precisely because it is seen as such a problem proselytisation is a pivotal concept to think with in research into the cultural politics of development. Drawing on anthropological critiques of the category of ‘religion’ I go beyond examining the pervasive ways that religious and development agendas have been entangled to explore the question of whether development itself is inherently proselytising.
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"The past decade has witnessed a surge of scholarly interest into the relationships between religion and development with significant attention being given to Christian actors. Recent studies have examined the vast array of... more
"The past decade has witnessed a surge of scholarly interest into the relationships between religion and development with significant attention being given to Christian actors. Recent studies have examined the vast array of ‘development-type’ activities carried out by Christian organisations in health, education, poverty alleviation, refugee services, disaster relief etc. Transnational Christian service is a powerful dynamic shaping social imaginaries and development outcomes. Anthropology has been at the forefront of this emerging scholarship, helpfully illuminating the deep histories of Christian involvement in development and furnishing textured analyses of diverse Christian missionary and non-governmental actors. Also of direct relevance is the widely-heralded ‘return of theology’ in which theological concerns are again being located at the centre of academic enquiry. Various approaches to analysing the theological, including particularly ‘political’ and ‘practical’ concerns, are making incisive interventions into development debates.
This symposium builds upon emerging anthropological and theological research on the entanglements between Christianity and development. It seeks to further expand the horizons of scholarly debate by attending to both theologies and practices. We aim to open new lines of enquiry by asking: How have interactions between Christianity and development reshaped each other? What are the genealogical and historical connections between various Christian traditions and the values, formations and practices of mainstream international development? What tensions have arisen between Christian and development (and within Christian development) actors and what do these reveal about the nature of development today? What directions should anthropological and theological analysis take in future research on development?
Short provocations by leading scholars from anthropology and theology will help facilitate a broad-ranging interdisciplinary conversation which will open new spaces for rethinking analytical frameworks and move the debate about Christianity and development into new questions and arenas.
This event is co-sponsored by the Ertegun Graduate Scholarship Programme in the Humanities, University of Oxford, and the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. The Asia Research Institute gratefully acknowledges the generous contribution of the Initiative on Religion and International Affairs of the Henry Luce Foundation in support of this symposium."
This symposium builds upon emerging anthropological and theological research on the entanglements between Christianity and development. It seeks to further expand the horizons of scholarly debate by attending to both theologies and practices. We aim to open new lines of enquiry by asking: How have interactions between Christianity and development reshaped each other? What are the genealogical and historical connections between various Christian traditions and the values, formations and practices of mainstream international development? What tensions have arisen between Christian and development (and within Christian development) actors and what do these reveal about the nature of development today? What directions should anthropological and theological analysis take in future research on development?
Short provocations by leading scholars from anthropology and theology will help facilitate a broad-ranging interdisciplinary conversation which will open new spaces for rethinking analytical frameworks and move the debate about Christianity and development into new questions and arenas.
This event is co-sponsored by the Ertegun Graduate Scholarship Programme in the Humanities, University of Oxford, and the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. The Asia Research Institute gratefully acknowledges the generous contribution of the Initiative on Religion and International Affairs of the Henry Luce Foundation in support of this symposium."
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Anthropologists have an awkward relationship with development things. There is a tendency to thingify non-things, such as ‘NGOs’, thereby rendering concrete that which is relational/processual. In contrast, materiality is often sidelined... more
Anthropologists have an awkward relationship with development things. There is a tendency to thingify non-things, such as ‘NGOs’, thereby rendering concrete that which is relational/processual. In contrast, materiality is often sidelined for analysis of discourses or structures. Yet things are pivotal for how development works. In this paper I explore the material culture of development by analysing canned meat. The Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a North American Christian NGO, has transported canned meat around the world since the mid-1940s. Despite ideological shifts in conceptualising development, fluctuating financial constraints, changing hygiene regulations, arguments over labels, and the spectre of mad cow disease, canned meat remains an important part of MCC’s programmatic repertoire. Every winter 10,000 volunteers from rural Mennonite communities can a million pounds of meat for relief. By tracing the surprising voyages of canned meat I probe how materiality – things – might be relocated at the forefront of anthropological imaginations of development.
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In the early 2000s a surprising number of mainstream development agencies publicly and pro-actively engaged with ‘religion’. Development studies soon followed suit joining the religious bandwagon with a burst of research projects and... more
In the early 2000s a surprising number of mainstream development agencies publicly and pro-actively engaged with ‘religion’. Development studies soon followed suit joining the religious bandwagon with a burst of research projects and publications. While academics continue this work with considerable energy there are signs that the theme is already waning among some major donors. Like an apparition religion appears to be moving on, leaving development to its own devices.
In this paper I argue that while donor trends ebb and flow development has in fact always been haunted by religion. An adequate understanding of development is only possible if careful attention is given to the constructions and practices of a pronounced secular-religious dichotomy. Two crucial issues are at stake. First, development has been constituted through the occlusion of the religious Other. This is apparent in widespread amnesia of the origins of western humanitarianism and development in transnational Christian mission and activism. Second, secular actors have never been the only players within development processes, though the presence of ‘religion’ (including its very construction) has been carefully policed, discursively and otherwise. Engagement between development actors – secular and sublime – has always been a necessary part in making development work. Critical analysis of secular-religious dynamics in development is vital for illuminating the cultural politics of development as such. Therefore, rather than a peripheral and passing fad (a re-worked) ‘religion and development’ must be located at the forefront of development studies and remain a key conversation topic in the wider industry.
In this paper I argue that while donor trends ebb and flow development has in fact always been haunted by religion. An adequate understanding of development is only possible if careful attention is given to the constructions and practices of a pronounced secular-religious dichotomy. Two crucial issues are at stake. First, development has been constituted through the occlusion of the religious Other. This is apparent in widespread amnesia of the origins of western humanitarianism and development in transnational Christian mission and activism. Second, secular actors have never been the only players within development processes, though the presence of ‘religion’ (including its very construction) has been carefully policed, discursively and otherwise. Engagement between development actors – secular and sublime – has always been a necessary part in making development work. Critical analysis of secular-religious dynamics in development is vital for illuminating the cultural politics of development as such. Therefore, rather than a peripheral and passing fad (a re-worked) ‘religion and development’ must be located at the forefront of development studies and remain a key conversation topic in the wider industry.
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This paper explores the roles of western Christianity in the ecology of disaster relief work in Asia. I argue that there are direct and indirect influences. Focusing on a particular western aid agency - the Mennonite Central Committee... more
This paper explores the roles of western Christianity in the ecology of disaster relief work in Asia. I argue that there are direct and indirect influences. Focusing on a particular western aid agency - the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and its work in Aceh following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami - I explore Mennonite relief as a form of 'leitourgia' [liturgy, worship, public service, gifting]. I address two particular objects of MCC gifting after the tsunami: canned meat and the building of 'meneusah' to discuss questions of how particular theologies must be translated into practice, a process that involves negotiation and is laden with the potential for transformation.
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The international humanitarian community has adopted a particular orthodoxy in its interpretation of the causality of tsunami disaster events. This orthodoxy has gained increasing prominence such that whenever tsunami disasters take place... more
The international humanitarian community has adopted a particular orthodoxy in its interpretation of the causality of tsunami disaster events. This orthodoxy has gained increasing prominence such that whenever tsunami disasters take place today it is the default operating framework for the entire humanitarian sector. A key feature of this orthodoxy is the identification of disasters as Natural with the implication that such events are merely ‘freak’ accidents of a mechanistic, disinterested universe. This modern, disenchanted approach has important implications for how disaster relief efforts are understood: as acts of charity for unfortunate disaster victims requiring temporary outside assistance. However, this is not the only hermeneutic applied to the same phenomena. In fact, tsunami disasters are highly contested sites of value conflicts, as differing – and sometimes outright antagonistic – interpretations are mobilised and collide into each other in the friction of relief activities. In actual disaster situations the dominant humanitarian interpretation of tsunami event and the aid it inspires are not necessarily assumed obvious or logical by those who have been affected. While scientists, politicians and the media tend to reinforce the orthodox humanitarian interpretation as unquestionably correct (in part via an active delegitimisation of any possible alternative), this paper argues that even this orthodoxy involves the working out of particular values that deserve sustained and careful reflection.
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"This thesis examines the work of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Indonesia. In describing the inner workings of MCC it draws on a diverse range of historical and contemporary sources as well twenty-two months of ethnographic... more
"This thesis examines the work of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Indonesia. In describing the inner workings of MCC it draws on a diverse range of historical and contemporary sources as well twenty-two months of ethnographic field research. The argument focuses on two themes. First, it explores the ways in which the practices of MCC are informed by the Anabaptist-Mennonite Christian religious tradition in North America. The influences of Mennonite vernacular theologies, identities and practices are far-reaching. Particularly important is the idea of service, which constitutes a distinctive Mennonite paradigm of development. Second, the thesis analyses processes of translation. MCC is an interstitial organisation located between different socio-cultural milieux. The factors propelling North American Mennonite donor participation in MCC must be translated into Indonesian contexts. Because translation involves both transference and transformation, MCC's work is dynamic and unpredictable. Therefore, while Mennonite religion is deeply influential, actual practice in Indonesia involves collaborations with a range of actors who come from different positions. In exploring the practices of translation in MCC the thesis pays attention to the place of individuals and relationships. In doing so, it highlights the agency of people in the midst of wider networks and processes.
The thesis interrogates the debate regarding the place of religion in the international development system. It argues that the historical expulsion of religion by mainstream development actors and also much of the interest in the current resurgence of religion are examples of an artificial bounding of religion as separate from a supposedly neutral secular domain. Rather than assuming a universal and essentialised definition of religion, the thesis is grounded in the particularities of how a specific religious tradition informs one particular actor. The influences of Mennonite religion on MCC are traced through time and in interconnections across cultural difference. The 'friction' of these cross-cultural encounters is profoundly generative. This necessitates close and detailed studies rather than simplistic generalisations. By examining the diverse ways in which Mennonite religion permeates throughout MCC's work in Indonesia the thesis challenges those who continue to question whether religion has a legitimate place in development activity."
The thesis interrogates the debate regarding the place of religion in the international development system. It argues that the historical expulsion of religion by mainstream development actors and also much of the interest in the current resurgence of religion are examples of an artificial bounding of religion as separate from a supposedly neutral secular domain. Rather than assuming a universal and essentialised definition of religion, the thesis is grounded in the particularities of how a specific religious tradition informs one particular actor. The influences of Mennonite religion on MCC are traced through time and in interconnections across cultural difference. The 'friction' of these cross-cultural encounters is profoundly generative. This necessitates close and detailed studies rather than simplistic generalisations. By examining the diverse ways in which Mennonite religion permeates throughout MCC's work in Indonesia the thesis challenges those who continue to question whether religion has a legitimate place in development activity."
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This group was initiated by the Religion and Globalization Cluster, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. It first formed in March of 2012 and is ongoing. We meet every four to six weeks to discuss recent texts... more
This group was initiated by the Religion and Globalization Cluster, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. It first formed in March of 2012 and is ongoing. We meet every four to six weeks to discuss recent texts related to the intersection of religion and religious groups with international aid and development. The group adopts broad and wide-ranging definitions of both ‘religion’ and ‘development’, and seeks to examine multiple related themes, including (but not limited to) religious actors in development, secularism and development, religious charity and philanthropy, religion and civil society, humanitarianism and religion, enchanted development and spiritual economies, and missionaries and development. Much of our reading is focused on Asia, though we also include diverse books as relevant to our theme.
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Eschewing tired doctrines of strict demarcation between development, religion and politics, this volume takes up the task of critically analysing this triple nexus. The chapters brought together in this landmark collection draw on... more
Eschewing tired doctrines of strict demarcation between development, religion and politics, this volume takes up the task of critically analysing this triple nexus. The chapters brought together in this landmark collection draw on detailed empirical studies from around contemporary Asia. Through their engagements with Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and secularism, among other traditions, the chapters argue persuasively for a new research agenda that attends to the ways in which development, religion, and politics are dynamically interconnected. In doing so, they deploy innovative conceptual approaches that rework taken-for-granted frames.
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The Mission of Development interrogates the complex relationships between Christian mission and international development in Asia from the 19th century to the new millennium. Through historically and ethnographically grounded case... more
The Mission of Development interrogates the complex relationships between Christian mission and international development in Asia from the 19th century to the new millennium. Through historically and ethnographically grounded case studies, contributors examine how missionaries have adapted to and shaped the age of development and processes of ‘technocratisation’, as well as how mission and development have sometimes come to be cast in opposition. The volume takes up an increasingly prominent strand in contemporary research that reverses the prior occlusion of the entanglements between religion and development. It breaks new ground through its analysis of the techno-politics of both development and mission, and by focusing on the importance of engagements and encounters in the field in Asia.