International Development and Religion Unit
Call for Papers: The Nexus of Religion and International Development
We invite proposals for papers that explore the multifaceted relationship between religion and international development. While we hold a particular interest in the following areas, we strongly encourage submissions on any topic within this field of study:
- Religion and the Future of Global Development: How can faith traditions contribute to the post-2030 development agenda? What unique perspectives do faith communities offer on justice, equity, and sustainability?
- The Evolving Role of Faith-Based Organizations: How are FBOs adapting to a changing world? What are their challenges and opportunities in areas like poverty reduction, healthcare, education, and humanitarian aid?
- Methodological Innovations in Religion and Development: How can researchers combine qualitative and quantitative methods for deeper insights? What ethical considerations are necessary when applying these methodologies?
We welcome submissions on these and any other related topics, including:
- Religion, conflict, and peacebuilding
- Gender, religion, and development outcomes
- Religious motivations and development practice
- Interfaith dialogue and collaboration
We welcome submissions from a diverse range of perspectives, including scholars, practitioners, and faith-based leaders.
Since its establishment as an academic discipline in the 1960's the field of International Development Studies (IDS) has evolved from a fragmented topic, contained within the many silos of different academic departments, into an interdisciplinary field that draws on knowledge from across the humanities and social sciences. Despite this growing trend, until recently, religious and theological studies have found it a challenge to contribute to this growing conversation. The International Development and Religion Unit was established at the AAR in 2009 as one avenue through which religious and theological studies could engage in this emerging constructive dialogue with development studies. The primary objective of our Unit is to use the AAR’s interdisciplinary and international reach as a focal point to gather scholars from across the humanities and social sciences, including those outside the AAR, who are engaged in the study of the space and place of religion in the context of economic, political and socio-cultural development in the global south. We wish to support theoretically robust and practically oriented research that interrogates the post/de/colonial, theological, religious and missionary assumptions and mentalities of the global confluence of international development and religion in the developing world, including, but not limited to the investigations of current faith-based NGO’s and their projects in the field, practitioner-based research and reflection from the field and the encounter between private and public religion(s) in the developing world.