This book looks at the way in which Pentecostalism, one of the fastest growing religious forms in much of the global South, articulates with local development processes. It explores the ways in which Pentecostal belief and practice can lead to new values and forms of sociality, which in turn can lead to changes in economic behaviour. It also compares Pentecostal churches and secular NGOs as different types of contemporary development agents and discerns the different ways in which they bring about change. Central to this work is an exploration of processes of individual and social transformation, and their relevance to understandings of the successes and failures of local level development.
Praise
“Scholars have for some time sensed that in many parts of the world development projects and Pentecostal Christianity stand in complex relations of competition and cooperation as programs that similarly promote personal and cultural change. But until now, no single work has sharpened this widespread intuition into a coherent line of argument or a workable research program. This groundbreaking book does both. With a superb introduction that tackles the key issues head on, followed by a group of first-class case studies that cash these issues out empirically, this collection should set the terms of debate about development and religion in Africa and well beyond for a long time to come”.
— Joel Robbins, Professor of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego.
“Full of new insights and transcending anthropologists’ familiar condemnation of the aid industry, this book suggests a completely new direction for research on the type of change generally called ‘development’… Using Weber’s key insights, and drawing on a range of nuanced case studies, this fascinating book explores affinities between the ‘Pentecostal ethic’ and the forms of market-driven development which the aspirant middle class in Africa increasingly finds itself embracing”.
— Deborah James, Professor of Anthropology, London School of Economics and Political Science.
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“Provocative and provides food for thought for development researchers and agencies interested in Africa’s development”.
— Justice Nyigmah Bawole, Lecturer, University of Ghana Business School.
“An extremely welcome book that contributes with a relevant angle to the ongoing debates on developmentin Africa”.
— Ruy Blanes, Associate Professor, School of Global Studies of the University of Gothenburg.