Pro-poor? Class, gender, power, and authority in faith-based education in Maharashtra, India1

Martin Rew and Zara Bhatewara

Development in Practice, 2012, vol. 22, issue 5-6, 851-866

Abstract: Religious and secular ideologies are hotly debated within Indian educational circles, partly in response to neo-liberal trends in educational provision, which have encouraged non-state providers, including religious organisations, to increase their involvement. The paper explores similarities and differences between educational providers affiliated with different faith traditions in Maharashtra, with respect to their educational activities and the extent to which their ethos and practices are pro-poor. Drawing on six illustrative case studies of Hindu, Christian, Islamic, and Buddhist religious education providers, it concludes that although all have a stated commitment to enhancing the welfare of the poor, the ways that this is expressed in their educational activities are strongly influenced not only by their religious ideology but also by their class and gender positions.Pro-pauvres ? Classe, genre, pouvoir et autorité dans l'éducation à base religieuse dans le Maharashtra, en IndeLes idéologies religieuses et laïques font l'objet de débats animés dans le milieu de l'éducation indien, en partie en réponse aux tendances néolibérales dans la prestation de services d'éducation, qui ont encouragé des prestataires non étatiques, y compris les organisations religieuses, à accroître leur participation. Cet article examine les similarités et les différences entre prestataires de services d'éducation affiliés à différentes traditions religieuses dans le Maharashtra, pour ce qui concerne leurs activités d'éducation et la mesure dans laquelle leur philosophie et leurs pratiques sont pro-pauvres. En s'inspirant de six études de cas illustratives de prestataires de services d'éducation religieux hindous, chrétiens, islamiques et bouddhistes, il conclut que, s'ils ont tous un engagement commun à améliorer le bien-être des pauvres, les manières dont cela est exprimé dans leurs activités d'éducation sont fortement influencées non seulement par leur idéologie religieuse, mais aussi par leurs positions sur le plan de la classe et du genre.Em prol dos pobres? Classe, gênero, poder e autoridade na educação baseada na fé em Maharashtra, ÍndiaIdeologias religiosas e seculares são calorosamente debatidas dentro dos círculos educacionais indianos, em parte devido a tendências neoliberais na provisão educacional, que têm incentivado provedores não-estatais, inclusive organizações religiosas, a aumentar seu envolvimento. O artigo explora as semelhanças e diferenças entre provedores educacionais afiliados a diferentes tradições de fé em Maharashtra, com respeito a suas atividades educacionais e até que ponto seu ethos e práticas favorecem os pobres. Baseando-se em seis estudos de caso ilustrativos de provedores educacionais religiosos Hindus, Cristãos, Islâmicos e Budistas, o artigo conclui que embora todos tenham um compromisso declarado de melhorar o bem-estar dos pobres, a maneira como isto é expressado em suas atividades educacionais é fortemente influenciada não apenas por sua ideologia religiosa, mas também por suas posições de classe e gênero.¿A favor de los pobres? Clase, género, poder y autoridad en la educación religiosa en Maharashtra, IndiaEn India, en el ámbito educativo se han producido acalorados debates sobre las ideologías religiosas y laicas, en parte como respuesta a las tendencias neoliberales que han impulsado la participación de entes no gubernamentales, incluyendo las organizaciones religiosas, en la educación. Este ensayo analiza las similitudes y diferencias entre escuelas particulares afiliadas a varias religiones en Maharashtra. Examina sus actividades educativas y si su ética normativa y sus prácticas favorecen a los pobres. El ensayo recurre a seis ilustrativos estudios de caso de escuelas hindúes, cristianas, islámicas y budistas y concluye que, si bien todas afirman explícitamente querer mejorar el bienestar de los pobres, la ideología religiosa y las ideas sobre clase y género influyen en cómo cumplen con este compromiso a través de la educación.

Date: 2012
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/09614524.2012.685865 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:cdipxx:v:22:y:2012:i:5-6:p:851-866

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/cdip20

DOI: 10.1080/09614524.2012.685865

Access Statistics for this article

Development in Practice is currently edited by Emily Finlay

More articles in Development in Practice from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().