PhD-research Project: Analyzing discourses and practices on religion and development
B.E. Bartelink, MA Religious Studies
University
of Groningen
Faculty of Religious Studies and Theology
September 2006- December 2011
Introduction
The role of religion and development has been under the attention of both governmental and non governmental organizations in The Netherlands since the new Millennium. Faith based organizations however, have been active in development cooperation for many decades. The experiences of such organizations active in development cooperation can give insight in the interrelationship between religion and development. It is unknown to many that churches are important service providers in many African countries. Moreover, in situations of conflict and fragility religious structures may be the only structure left. Worldwide, faith based organizations and ngo’s are important actors in development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Considering the stereotypical views on how faith groups deal with HIV/Aids and sexuality, it might be more surprising even that faith based organizations are actively involved in HIV/Aids prevention and care. Since HIV/Aids is an example of a development issue that touches upon peoples religious beliefs, values and worldviews, it is interesting to see how faith based organizations shape their activities in fighting HIV/ Aids, negotiating between different demands and using different sources and repertoires.
Goal
In this research project I want to gain insight in discourses on religion in development. I am specifically interested in how faith based organizations identify with religion and contribute to these discourses.In my first case study I look at how religion influences the views, motivations and practical involvement of Christian development organizations in particular in sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.For a second case study I look into the discourses produced by the Dutch Knowledge Center on Religion and Development.
I use a so called actor oriented perspective on development cooperation, which means amongst others that I am interested in the partnerships between Northern and Southern faith based organizations, the influence of policy on practice and vice versa. While I am interested in the differences and similarities between Muslim and Christian faith based organizations, this had to be left aside for this empirical study. The academic aim of this project is to write a thesis that allows me to obtain a PhD.
Questions
How are discourses on religion and development constructed by religious development organisations in The Netherlands and their partners in developing countries?
How do these discourses contribute to the construction of (religious) identities?
In the course of the project the following empirical research is done:
Pilotstudy on the perceptions of the role of religion in faith based organizations in The Netherlands and Tanzania.
Case study on faith based organizations and HIV/prevention and treatment, with a focus on how the organizations in the EDUCAIDS network negotiate between different ideals and expectations around their role in development, HIV/Aids prevention and their religious identity.
Case Study on the KnowledgeCenter on Religion and Development.
Methodology
Interviews, participant observation, analysis of policy documents and professional literature, analysis of academic publications.
Theoretical framework
My research relates to other research and theories in the field of anthropology and religious studies that is focused on discussing religion, secularization and modernity; development anthropology; discourse analysis and identity. For the analysis of the case studies I draw amongst others upon the work of anthropologist Gerd Baumann on processes of selfing and othering in identity construction.
Current activities
In the first year (2006/2007) I have concentrated on reading literature and designing the theoretical and methodological foundations of the research. I have also started to gather data on Dutch discourses on religion and development and I have conducted 13 interviews with Dutch FBO’s. The second year (2008) started out with a fieldwork period of two months, in which I have conducted interviews with 11 FBO’s in Tanzania. I have been writing on faith based organizations and their perception of the role of religion, using data from The Netherlands and Tanzania.
In the current phase of my fieldwork (2008/2009) I am collecting data on discourses of FBO’s on HIV/Aids, specifically concerning prevention and sexuality education. My main focus is on the EDUCAIDS network, bringing together organizations in The Netherlands, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Malawi on the issue of HIV/AIDS in education. Most of the organizations in the network are Christian based. In the Shareframe project initated by EDUCAIDS in Uganda and Kenya these organizations try to integrate their religious values with rights and evidence based approaches to HIV/AIDS.
For my case study on the KnowledgeCenter on Religion and Development (KCRD) I am collecting data continuously since 2006, however with a focus on their work in 2007 and 2008. In 2007 the KCRD worked on introducing new (religiously inspired) perspectives on development cooperation and in 2008 their activities were focussed on the priority theme in Dutch development policy; Failed States.
