Physical Religious Spaces in the Lives of Rajasthani Village Women: Ethnographic Study and Practice of Religion in Development

Abstract

This article explores the positive contribution a focus on physical religious spaces makes to development practice. By taking an ethnographic approach in studying religious spaces it is possible for practitioners of development to understand the values and beliefs of adherents, which can help them forge closer, more empathetic relationships with local people. This approach is particularly useful in listening to the experiences of marginalized groups whose views are more quietly voiced. An example is given of a group of Hindu women who shared stories of domestic violence within a ritual space they created for this purpose. A faith-based development organization offered the women a secure environment to perform this ritual. This same faith-based development organization used religious spaces in their daily practice as sites for communication with local communities and personal reflection.Ritual, Hinduism, Women, Rajasthan, Development, Empowerment,

Religion and development: Tracing the trajectories of an evolving sub-discipline

“…In this way, authors looked to situate religion as a sphere which interacts with all areas of life including gender (for example, some of Tomalin and Bradley's work resonate with that), politics, and development. Many authors, between 2009-2016, argued that an empirical -particularly ethnographic -method was key to understanding the complex workings of religion in multiple, varied contexts (Hefferans, Adkins and Occhipinti, 2009;Bradley, 2009;Bompani and Frahm-Arp, 2010;Bradley, 2011;Tugal, 2012;Fountain, 2013;Walsh, 2015;Marshall, 2015;Narayanan, 2015). This conversation that brought to perceive religion in a multifaceted way was part of a larger transition which took hold in 2011 in which RaD literature began to turn its attention to function over definition; individual agency and lived faith experience over classification and justifications of religion, and to individual agency and faith experience over institutional partnerships (Rees, 2011;Parsitau et al, 2011;Jones and Petersen, 2011;Balchin, 2011;Terr Harr, 2011).…”

“…In this way, authors looked to situate religion as a sphere that interacts with all areas of life including gender (e.g., some of Tomalin and Bradley's work resonate with that), politics and development. Many authors, between 2009 and 2016, argued that an empiricalparticularly ethnographic-method was key to understanding the complex workings of religion in multiple, varied contexts (Bompani and Frahm-arp, 2010;Bradley, 2009;Bradley, 2011;Fountain, 2013;Haffernan, adkins, and Occhipinti, 2009;Marshall, 2015;Narayanan, 2015;Tugal, 2012;Walsh, 2015).…”

“…The move to a 'more holistic form of development', as has been so-defined by this kind of literature, has seen advocacy for locally led development efforts that use concepts and means to the indigenous communities undergoing development. From 2010/11 onwards, a participatory model, attending to indigenous voices and ideas is a prominent and expanding theme (though there are some notable references in earlier years, e.g., Bradley, 2006;Casanova and Phillips, 2009;Tomalin, 2007). advocacy for the use of interpretive indigenous tools to the situation or religion-such as the incorporation of theology in policy making-accompany a call for locally led development (ager and ager, 2016; Clarke, 2016;Cox, Villamayor, and Hartberg, 2014;girma, 2012;Wilhelm and Charbonnier, 2014).…”

“…One growing theme emerging in more recent years (2014-17) is the significance of sacred spaces. Bradley's (2009) work on female victims of domestic violence receiving aid in the secure, familiar environment of a ritual space hinted towards religious space as a site for development work that was recently echoed by Clarke (2016). Taking a kind of reverse approach, Van Dijk et al 2014addressed the formation of religious spaces in response to situations of developmental need.…”

El Campo Religioso en Los Asentamientos Precarios De Buenos Aires. Una Aproximación Desde La Situación Religiosa De Las Mujeres

“…La religión es un espacio al que muchas personas recurren para entender el mundo y su lugar en él. La gente recurre a lo religioso para encontrar sentidos profundos a sus vidas, a sus problemas, a sus dolores y alegrías (Bradley, 2009). En la religión, entre otros aspectos, encuentran respuestas que la ciencia no puede dar, encuentran respuesta a las injusticias, hallan bases morales sobre las que juzgar los actos propios y de los demás.…”