Secular and religious dynamics in humanitarian response / Olivia J. Wilkinson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wilkinson, Olivia J., author.

Series:

Routledge research in religion and development

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Disaster relief.

Humanitarianism.

Humanitarianism--Religious aspects.

Disaster victims--Religious life.

Disaster victims.

Religious life.

Physical Description:

vii, 127 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2020.

Summary:

"This book investigates the ways in which the humanitarian system is secular and responds to religious beliefs and practices when responding to disasters. The book teases out the reasons why humanitarians are reluctant to engage with what is seen as 'messy' cultural dynamics within the communities they work with, and how this can lead to strained or broken relationships with disaster-affected populations and irrelevant and inappropriate disaster assistance that imposes distant and relatively meaningless values. In order to interrogate secular boundaries within humanitarian response, the book draws particularly on qualitative primary data from the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. The case study shows how religious practices and beliefs strongly influence people's disaster experience, yet humanitarian organisations often failed to recognise or engage with this. Whilst secularity in the humanitarian system does not completely exclude religious participation and expression, it does create biases and boundaries. Many humanitarians view their secularity as essential to their position of impartiality and cultural sensitivity in comparison to what was seen as the biased and unprofessional beliefs and practices of religions and religious actors, even though disaster-affected people felt that it was the secular humanitarians that were less impartial and culturally sensitive. This empirically driven examination of the role of secularity within humanitarianism will be of interest to the growing field of 'pracademic' researchers across NGOs, government, consultancy, and think tanks, as well as researchers working directly within academic institutions"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: why secular-religious dynamics matter in the humanitarian system

The secular humanitarian system

How people affected by disaster understand religious dynamics in the humanitarian system

How humanitarians experience secular dynamics in the humanitarian system

Evolving secular-religious dynamics in the humanitarian system.

Notes:

"Routledge Focus"--Cover.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Wilkinson, Olivia J., Secular and religious dynamics in humanitarian response

ISBN:

9780367188337

0367188333

OCLC:

1120095797