[URBANTH-L]Call for Chapter Proposals: Faith-based NGOs in the Americas

[Tara Hefferan]

** Please distribute widely.  Apologies for cross-postings **



Call for Chapter Proposals

Abstract submission deadline:  June 30, 2007

Full chapters due:  August 17, 2007



Bridging the Gaps:  Faith-based NGOs in the Americas
A book edited by

Tara Hefferan, Alma College

Julie Adkins, Southern Methodist University



Objective
The aim of this collection of ethnographic articles is to provide in-depth
analysis of faith-based development organizations across the Americas.  As
neoliberal philosophies and economic models spread across the globe,
faith-based non-governmental (“third-sector”) organizations have
proliferated.  They increasingly fill the gaps born of state neglect and
retraction, standing in for the state by designing and delivering social
services and development programming.  This collection shines a much needed
critical light onto these organizations by exploring the varied ways that
religious organizations attempt to mend the fissures and mitigate the
effects of neoliberal capitalism and development practices on the poor and
powerless.  In so doing, the volume generates provocative and sophisticated
analyses—grounded in empirical case studies—of such topics as the meaning of
“faith-based” development, evaluations of faith-based versus secular
approaches, the influence of faith-orientation on program formulation and
delivery, and examinations of faith-based organizations’ impacts on
structural inequality and poverty alleviation.

Taken together, the chapters in the volume demonstrate the vital importance
of ethnography for understanding the faith-based “turn” in development.
Moving beyond anthropology’s traditional dismissal of and missiology’s
uncritical support for faith-based initiatives, contributors demonstrate the
importance of grounded analysis for understanding the specific discourses,
practices, and beliefs that imbue faith-based initiatives with such currency
at the moment.  Richly describing the philosophies and work of faith-based
organizations, the chapters reveal both the promise and the limitations of
this increasingly visible mode of development.



Submission Guidelines
Those interested in having their work considered for inclusion in Bridging
the Gaps:  Faith-based NGOs in the Americas should send editors Tara
Hefferan (heffera2 at msu dot edu) and Julie Adkins (DrJAdkins at aol dot
com) a 250-word abstract of their proposed chapter by June 30, 2007.  Please
also include affiliation, contact information, and a 50-word biography.
Papers accepted for the collection will be due August 17, 2007.