The relationships between religion and development: views from anthropology

Abstract

The field of anthropology is concerned with the ways in which people perceive their identity and the world around them. This Working Paper strives to complement and enrich the Religions and Development Programme at the University of Birmingham by describing, in the first instance, the methods by which anthropologists approach their work, and in the second, by providing an overview and analysis of ethnographic research carried out on religion. This research mainly focuses on understanding how religions beliefs and values impact on people's lives in terms of structuring their identities, actions and wider social and cultural systems. A final concern of this paper is a description of research that has attempted to turn the lens back on to development work itself - examining the anthropology of religion and development through, for example, the work of faith-based NGOs.