The possibility of reasoning

The possibility of reasoning

The human development and capability approach encompasses the five modes of engagement with religion and development described above, but it also adds another dimension: that of reasoning and deliberation. Development is not about promoting whatever people value but what they have reason to value. The values that guide the development process have to be critically examined with a thorough process of reasoning in the public space, allowing the views of all the members of a society to be heard. There is obviously the risk that democratic decision-making might be disrupted by some groups imposing their views on others or manipulating them, as has been pointed out earlier. But what is important is that public debate continues, and that efforts are made to level off the disruptive effects of power relations on participatory and democratic processes.

In her chapter on religion in Women and Human Development, Nussbaum (2000) details how this type of critical reasoning and deliberation can take place within a religion itself. She describes the apparent dilemma that may sometimes arise when respecting the right to religious liberty, on the one hand, and other rights, on the other. For example, respecting religious liberty might entail that women are denied equality in inheritance, or that women are denied protection in the case of divorce. Nussbaum argues that the secular humanist route (that

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the right to religious liberty can never trump rights to non-discrimination and equality) and the traditionalist route (that religious liberty always overrides any other rights) are both impasses. A society can indeed never be ruled by values external to it, but this does not mean that values internal to a society cannot be changed from within. If a certain religion denies women equality in front of the law, this can be challenged by elements within (and outside) the society’s own religious tradition. Because of the diversity inherent in each religious tradition, such conflicts can be solved by actively engaging with those who accept the legitimacy of fundamental human rights within the tradition. This is what Nussbaum calls the ‘principle of moral restraint’, that is, religion is recognized as a basic influence on people’s actions but its influence should also be restricted by the moral claims of the religion itself.

The importance of reasoning is also a recurrent theme in Sen’s Identity and Violence. 12 He expresses considerable concern about the fact that religions are in increasing danger of becoming rigid political identities. First, he contends, a division must be drawn between discussions of Islam as a religion and of

people who happen to be Muslim. 13 This draws in part on the notion of multiple identities – that it is illegitimate to define a set of people simply on the basis of their religious identity, rather than recognizing the many factors that may comprise it: although they may be Muslim, they are also highly heterogeneous. More specifically, Sen argues against the political energies that some political leaders such as George W. Bush and Tony Blair have put into (re)defining Islam – as a ‘peaceful religion’, for example, thereby attempting to recruit religion to ‘our side’ in the war on terror. This confuses the religious criteria of orthodoxy and belonging (issues of belief and religious practice) with social and political principles and behaviour, which are other matters entirely. The danger of this ‘religion-centred political approach’ is that its effect will be ‘to bolster and strengthen the voice of religious authorities, while downgrading the importance of nonreligious institutions and movements’ (Sen, 2006, p77).

This risks giving a commanding voice to figures of the religious establish- ment and downplaying the importance of civic initiatives by ordinary people who happen to be Muslim. Emphasizing religious identity also places ‘community leaders’ between Muslim citizens and the government, thus placing them at a relative disadvantage to members of other groups. As Sen asks: ‘Should a British citizen who happens to be Muslim have to rely on clerics or other leaders of the religious community to communicate with the prime minister of his country?’ (2006, p78). The point that people of Muslim faith – or any other – should not have their civic and political participation perpetually packaged within a religious wrapping is an important one.

The immanent presence of religion in development processes cannot be swept under the carpet. Religion is often a significant, if not the most foundational part, of people’s lives which infuse what they value, who they are and what they do. However, as this chapter has shown, religion is never immune from power and is always embedded in social structure and political

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economy. Therefore, religion bears close association with culture, which structures human life itself in particular ways. The topics of ‘culture and religion’ remain a challenge for development for they expose the fragility of any conception of development with universalist aspirations, and the complex- ities of the strive for human flourishing.

Questions

11.4 Does it make sense to use religion to challenge certain cultural practices?

11.5 How do the values of your religious tradition speak to those who

appear to dominate in development interventions?

11.6 How would you describe the nature of FBOs in your country? How do they influence development processes and outcomes?

Notes

3 Given the scope of this textbook, this chapter only presents an analysis of monotheistic religions and leaves out indigenous forms of belief systems like animism. The analysis is taken from Deneulin with Bano (2009). 4 For a critical discussion of Weber’s work, see Giddens (1987). 5 The Calvinist doctrine of predestination placed an emphasis on attaining personal salvation through grace and faith. Calvinists expressed the belief that one would be saved by being industrious and devoting one’s life to doing good work in this world. Wealth-creation was thus an activity blessed by God but the wealth produced by one’s labour could not be used for a lavish and ostentatious lifestyle; instead, it had to be re-invested in productive activities. 6 See Jackson and Fleischer (2007) for a literature review of the role of religion in economic development. 7 For more information on the secularization process, see Casanova (1994). 8 Some critics would undoubtedly argue that the human development approach remains deeply embedded in a Eurocentric and liberal humanist understanding of such notions as ‘freedom’ and ‘agency’, and that there is still some way to go before such a freedom-based view of development can be truly culturally sensitive and respectful of the values and visions of the world that other societies might hold. 9 Taken from the Declaration that can be accessed in full at www.un.org/Overview/rights.html. 10 For a study about the growing support for Islamic political parties and the factors underpinning it, see Kepel (2000). 11 For a summary of the literature of the relationship between religion and democracy with reference to Christianity and Islam, see Deneulin with Bano (2009). 12 This discussion on Identity and Violence was written by Sarah White. 13 This is also a point made by Scott Appleby (2000) – that there is no such thing as ‘Christianity’ or ‘Islam’ but that there are Christians and Muslims who embody their faith depending upon the social, political, cultural and economic contexts in which they live.

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Readings

Alkire, S. (2002) Valuing Freedoms, Oxford University Press, Oxford Appleby, S. (2000) The Ambivalence of the Sacred: Religion, Violence and

Reconciliation, Rowan and Littlefield, London Casanova, J. (1994) Public Religions in the Modern World, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL Clarke, G. (2006) ‘Faith matters: Faith-based organisations, civil society and

international development’, Journal of International Development, vol 18, no 6, pp835–848

Clarke, G., Jennings, M. and Shaw, T. (eds) (2007) Development, Civil Society and Faith-Based Organisations, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke

Deneulin, S. with Bano, M. (2009) Religion in Development: Rewriting the Secular Script, Zed Books, London

Giddens, A. (1987) Capitalism and Modern Social Theory: An Analysis of the Writings of Marx, Durkheim and Max Weber, Cambridge University Press,

Cambridge Jackson, P. and Fleischer, C. (2007) ‘Religion and economics: A literature review’, Working Paper 3, DFID Religions and Development Research Programme, Birmingham, www.rad.bham.ac.uk

Kepel, G. (2006) Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam, transl. by Anthony F. Roberts, 4th edn, I.B. Tauris, London Narayan, D., Chambers, R., Shah, M. and Petesch, P. (2000) Voices of the Poor, Oxford University Press for the World Bank, New York Nussbaum, M. (2000) Women and Human Development, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Sen, A. K. (2006) Identity and Violence, London, Allen Tyndale, W. (ed.) (2007) Visions of Development: Faith-Based Initiatives, Ashgate,

Aldershot Wilber, C. and Jameson, K. (1980) ‘Religious values and the social limits to development’, World Development, vol 8, no 7/8, pp467–479