The Bahá’í Faith and its Critical Engagement with the Global Discourse and Practice of “Development”

Abstract

The Bahá’í Faith, since its early years in Iran in the second half of the 19th century, has placed a strong emphasis on what its scriptures refer to as humanity’s calling to “carry forward an ever advancing civilization” based on spiritual principles and characterized by unity, social justice and prosperity. These efforts have acquired increased intensity and global reach since the mid 1980s, with the establishment of an Office of Socio-Economic Development at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa (Israel), the launching of thousands of social service projects around the world and the emergence of several large-scale Bahá’í-inspired development NGOs in Latin America, Africa and Asia. In the course of these efforts, which have led Bahá’ís to work closely with the institutions, funders, NGOs, communities and academic discourses commonly designated as the world of “development”, they have gradually systematized a discourse and practice of development which builds on and yet is critical of both traditional religious conceptions of philanthropy and mainstream secular approaches to development. This talk will sketch the historical evolution of Bahá’í efforts in this field, and discuss current Bahá’í conceptual frameworks and patterns of social engagement, drawing on examples from Colombia, India and Hong Kong and Macau (China). It will conclude by situating these experiences in the context of recent critiques of prevailing models of “development” and of the secular-religious divide.