[URBANTH-L]Revised CFP: Faith-based NGOs in the Americas

[Tara Hefferan]

** Please distribute the revised call for chapter proposals.  Laurie
Occhipinti is now a co-editor of the project, and the deadlines have been
extended**


Call for Chapter Proposals

Abstract submission deadline:  August 3, 2007

First drafts due:  November 14, 2007





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

Tara Hefferan, Central Michigan University

Julie Adkins, Southern Methodist University

Laurie Occhipinti, Clarion University of Pennsylvania



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 particular role of faith-based agencies
in development.  The contributors argue for an understanding of faith-based
development that moves beyond anthropology’s traditional dismissal of and
missiology’s uncritical support for faith-based initiatives.  Instead,
contributors demonstrate the importance of grounded analysis for
understanding the specific discourses, practices, and beliefs that imbue
faith-based initiatives with such currency.  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
Scholars 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), Julie Adkins (DrJAdkins at aol dot
com), and Laurie Occhipinti (locchipinti at clarion dot edu) a 250 word
abstract of their proposed chapter by August 3, 2007.  Please also include
your affiliation, contact information, and a 50-word biography.  First
drafts of papers accepted for the collection will be due November 14, 2007;
final versions will be due January 15, 2008.