Research On Religion » Templeton Foundation

Rebecca Shah on Religion & the Enterprising Poor in India

tonygill — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 03:21:56 +0000

Why are the poor, poor? Alternatively, what prevents the poor from improving their financial well-being? These questions have occupied the minds of political economists for centuries, but few beyond Max Weber have ever considered the role of religion as an explanatory factor. Dr. Rebecca Shah, a research associate at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, discusses an ongoing research project called “Holy Avarice” with us. As she reveals, this project examines both wealthy Christian entrepreneurs and the role faith plays in their business success, and poor individuals struggling to break out of their dismal living conditions. We focus on the latter topic for this interview, which takes us to the slums of Bangalore, India to examine how religion affects the economic prospects of what Dr. Shah calls “the enterprising poor.”

Our conversation starts with a discussion of the living conditions of the three neighborhoods she examined during her research trips. The vivid portrayal of life in these poor communities sets the stage for how difficult it is for individuals trapped in poverty to escape. We then cover the role of lending and the different types of loans that are available to the poor. Borrowing funds to cover everything from short-term needs (e.g., paying rent, a doctor bill) to finding ways to finance a small business is a fact of life for individuals in these communites. Becky details how borrowing can have a negative effect on the poor, particularly if loans are used by individuals who tend to significantly undervalue the future. We then move to discuss the micro-finance (or micro-lending) movement that has become popular in recent decades and how women are organizing sangams (self-help groups) to create financial accountability amongst themselves. The role of women is emphasized in this interview given that critical role that they play in organizing small businesses in these communities, as well as the critical spiritual role they play in the family (a topic we review later). Becky relays a number of the social problems that beset women, including physical abuse from their husbands.

Our focus then turns to the role of religion. We discover the interesting religious diversity of these poor neighborhoods, including the recent growth of Pentecostalism amongst the population which is majority Hindu, but also contains a significant number of Muslims, Catholics and a smattering of other faiths. It is interesting to see how religious tensions are relatively minimal in the poor communities that Becky examines. We place the most attention on how Pentecostals are shaping the financial fortunes of poor women. Becky’s research has revealed that tithing to one’s religious community on a regular basis creates a degree of accountability and financial expectation that promotes a pattern of responsible saving. This behavioral pattern, in addition to the accountability that sangams create amongst their members, facilitates an economic discipline that allows entrepreneurial women to achieve some economic success. Other ritualistic behaviors such as fasting also sends signals to members in the community who may not share a particular individual’s religious faith, but nevertheless helps to build bonds of trust among different people. Becky’s research also shows how a woman’s Pentecostal faith and the practice it entails can also mitigate problems such as domestic violence and alcohol abuse amongst the men in the household, a trend that has also been witnessed in Latin America. Recorded: June 6, 2013.

The Holy Avarice Project.

The Reformation of Machismo: Evangelical Conversion and Gender in Columbia, by Elizabeth Brusco (mentioned in the podcast).

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William Inboden on Religious Liberty, Foreign Policy, & the Arab Spring

tonygill — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 09:00:23 +0000

With political events rapidly unfolding in Egypt, Syria, and other parts of the Middle East, we visit with Prof. William Inboden, distinguished scholar at the Strauss Center for International Security at the University of Texas and an associate scholar with Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Prof. Inboden not only brings his extensive scholarship to bear on the issue of religious freedom and the Arab Spring, but his many years serving as a policy advisor in the US State Department and National Security Council provides him with another unique perspective on how the issue of religious liberty can and should shape US foreign policy. We begin with a discussion of what the Arab Spring is, how it started, and where it might be headed. Prof. Inboden notes that scholars are starting to rename the Arab “Spring,” the Arab “Awakening” as there is some growing concern that what appeared to initially be popular uprisings in support of liberal democratic forms of government may now be moving in a more autocratic direction. We discuss why this might be. Our attention then turns to the topic of religious liberty, which Will considers to be an important bellwether for liberal democracy in general. Prof. Inboden explains how religious freedom can help neutralize extremism and notes that religious liberty is not just important for religious minorities such as the Christian Copts, but is a vital civil liberty for Muslims as well. Far from being a monolithic religious bloc, Islam actually has many different “flavors” and Muslims who hold more moderate views on a number of topics would also benefit immensely from greater religious freedom and toleration in their societies. We also discuss the state of non-Muslim religious minorities now in such countries as Egypt, Tunisia, and Syria. Much of this discussion is informed by Will’s participation in a Berkley Center symposium “Religious Freedom and Religious Extremism: Lessons from the Arab Spring” (see link below), involving past and current policymakers such as Elliott Abrams, Stephen Hadley, and Dennis Ross. Our conversation shifts towards foreign policy and Will makes an argument that the promotion of religious freedom needs to be a key component of US relations with the Middle East. Using examples from Afghanistan, he points out how religious freedom is necessarily an issue of national security and not just some lofty goal that is desired unto itself. Tony pushes back with counter-arguments that promoting religious liberty can be seen as cultural imperialism, to which Will notes that while national leaders in autocratic regimes often make this argument, average citizens around the world have been shown to embrace the rights of conscience and worship when it is offered to them. Recorded: November 28, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. William Inboden’s biography at the Strauss Center for International Security at the University of Texas.

Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University.

“Religious Freedom and Religious Extremism: Lessons from the Arab Spring,” proceedings from the Berkley Center’s symposium mentioned in the interview.

“Religious Freedom and National Security: Why the US Should Make the Connection,” by William Inboden in Policy Review.

Religion and American Foreign Policy, 1945-60: The Soul of Containment, by William Inboden.

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Allen Hertzke on Religious Liberty

tonygill — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:00:37 +0000

One of the recurring themes of the Research on Religion podcast series is religious liberty — including the causes for, consequences of, and threats to such freedom. Prof. Allen Hertzke — Presidential Professor of Political Science at the University of Oklahoma — joins us to give his overview of this topic based on his research conducted both in the United States and globally. Prof. Hertzke recounts how his interest in religion and politics developed, and how he became increasingly involved in studying religious freedom on a global scale. We talk about what impact academic scholarship might have on promoting religious freedom as well as offer some speculations as to why intellectual and policy elites have often been dismissive, or outright hostile, to this basic civil liberty. We then dissect the importance of religious freedom examining it on the theoretical dimensions of equal worth, dignity, reason and community. We then move on to some of the more empirical examples of how religious freedom has promoted positive developments in the world, and how and why we’ve seen some backtracking on its spread over the past decade. Recorded: November 3, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Allen Hertzke’s bio at the University of Oklahoma.

Freeing God’s Children: The Unlikely Alliance for Global Human Rights, by Allen Hertzke.

Representing God in Washington: The Role of Religious Lobbies in the American Polity, by Allen Hertzke.

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

John Templeton Foundation.

Institute for Global Engagement.

Echoes of Discontent: Jesse Jackson, Pat Robertson and the REsurgence of Populism, by Allen Hertzke.

“Septics, Sewers, and Secularization: How Government Flushes Religious Liberty Down the Drain,” a guiding paper by Anthony Gill mentioned on the podcast.

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Karrie Koesel on House Churches in China

tonygill — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 08:00:33 +0000

Professor Karrie Koesel — assistant professor of political science at the University of Oregon — returns to Research on Religion with an update on her recent research on “house churches” in China. That research was sponsored by a grant from the Templeton Foundation’s Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Initiative managed by Dr. Don Miller at the University of Southern California. While conducting fieldwork in China during the fall of 2010, Prof. Koesel had the opportunity to interact and learn about various house churches in the country. She discusses what a “house church” is, how they are organized, and the wide variety of theological styles found within that rather large movement. We talk about this in the context of a regime that gives official sanction to five different churches (the “red market”), and what it means to be part of the “gray” or “black market” religious scene in China. Karrie makes the interesting observation that while leaders from house churches were often sent to labor camps for operating illegally, their presence in these camps allowed them, ironically, to recruit new adherents and grow. The Chinese government has since then responded by using “indirect pressure” to force these churches out of business or to associate with officially sanctioned groups such as the Three Self Patriotic Movement. Prof. Koesel then argues that the organizational strategies and tactics employed by clandestine “house churches” were very similar to the same methods employed by the Chinese Communist Party prior to the 1949 revolution. We also talk about the challenges and difficulties associated with doing research on underground movements. Finally, the podcast ends with some speculation as to how these “house churches” (and other religious revival groups) will affect Chinese society and politics in the near future. Recorded: May 25, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Karrie Koesel’s website.

Templeton Foundation’s Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Initiative.

Religion in American History: A Group Blog on American Religious History and Culture. (A special thanks for directing traffic our way!)

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