Abstract

‘Religion and development’ is now a well-established research area within development studies. However, reflections on development from within the standpoint of religions remain largely unexplored. Interrogating processes of social change from a certain moral standpoint – whether some are more desirable or worthwhile than others – has been a defining characteristic of development studies throughout its history. The paper argues that, given these normative underpinnings, greater dialogue is needed with ethical frameworks among which reflections on development are conducted within religions. It argues that extending the moral standpoint from which to interrogate processes of social change to include that of religious traditions could contribute to development studies’ ongoing reflections on the concept and meaning of development. The paper focuses on the reflections on development conducted from within the Catholic tradition, particularly Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, and its implementation in the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region. It argues that these reflections, which have moved the concept of development towards integral ecology, could contribute to broadening the normative basis of development studies more widely, and offer a more integrated approach for thinking about development and how societies should move into the future.

摘要

“宗教与发展”现在是发展研究中一个成熟的研究领域。然而，从宗教的角度对发展的反思在很大程度上仍未得到探索。从某种道德角度审视社会变迁的过程——无论是某些更令人向往还是比其他更有价值——一直是发展研究历史上的一个决定性特征。该论文认为，鉴于这些规范性基础，需要与伦理框架进行更多对话，其中在宗教内部进行对发展的反思。它认为，将审问社会变迁过程的道德立场扩展到包括宗教传统的道德立场，可能有助于发展研究对发展的概念和意义的持续反思。Laudato Si'：关于关爱我们共同的家园，及其在泛亚马逊地区主教会议中的实施。它认为，这些反思将发展的概念推向了整体生态学，有助于更广泛地拓宽发展研究的规范基础，并为思考发展和社会如何走向未来提供更综合的方法。