Development and politics from below : exploring religious spaces in the African state /
"The editors of this volume pose major challenges to the research community: to re-evaluate the concepts, assumptions and methods that may veil rather than illuminate contemporary African societies and to develop a better understanding of the relationships between religion, politics, developmen...
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| Other Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Houndmills, Basingstoke, England ; New York :
Palgrave Macmillan,
2010.
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| Series: | Non-governmental public action series
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| Subjects: | |
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| Summary: | "The editors of this volume pose major challenges to the research community: to re-evaluate the concepts, assumptions and methods that may veil rather than illuminate contemporary African societies and to develop a better understanding of the relationships between religion, politics, development and modernity. The authors of the individual chapters make a valuable contribution to this research agenda by examining aspects of the place of religion in public spaces; how religions function and shape people's lives, communities and organizations; and the role of religion in the sphere of health.'--Carole Rakodi, Director of the Religion and Development Research Programme, International Development Department, University of Birmingham, UK" "T̀his groundbreaking volume makes a significant contribution to an emerging field in Development Studies. Drawing from a variety of disciplines, its wide-ranging and original set of essays demonstrates the centrality of religious ideas and practices - Traditional, Christian and Islamic - to contemporary African popular culture and their capacity to shape public life and politics. Focusing on the beliefs and passions of ordinary religious adherents, the essays make a compelling case for a holistic human centred model of development and highlight the inadequacy of hitherto dominant western secular models. The collection is required reading for policy makers, practitioners and researchers working in development.'--David Maxwell, Professor of African History, Keele University, UK" "In what ways and senses does religion endure? In what ways has development failed Africa? How can we build effective African politics from below? These are some of the questions explored in this volume, which seeks to analyze the shifting and complex sets of relationships that exist between religion, politics and development in Africa." "Modernist and secularist thinking has long predicted that religion would be rendered irrelevant, to be sidestepped, ignored or eliminated. However, this is not the case in twenty-first-century Africa. Religion plays an increasingly important role in politics and development. This volume captures the dynamism and power of religion in Africa. In doing so it aims to move beyond narrow conceptualisations of p̀olitics' and d̀evelopment' and public and private spaces in order to uncover the meaning of modern religion in Africa and the many ways it is embedded in millions of Africans' everyday struggles to survive, sustain themselves and make sense of the modern world."--Jacket. |
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| Item Description: | Proceedings of a conference held in 2008. Includes index. |
| Physical Description: | xiii, 257 p. ; 23 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780230237759 0230237754 |