Events

This event is co-organised by the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore and the Ertegun Graduate Scholarship Programme in the Humanities, University of Oxford, UK

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.

Please follow this link for more information

REGISTRATION

Please note that this symposium will be held at Ertegun House, University of Oxford, UK.

Admission is free of charge but registration is essential. RSVP to tobias.tan@theology.ox.ac.uk by Monday, 12 August 2013. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

CONTACT DETAILS

Workshop Convenors:

Dr Philip Fountain
Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

Mr Tobias Tan
Ertegun House and Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford, UK