REL351

How do politicians and communities balance commitments to religious traditions with diverse conceptions of modernization? How will the participation of women-whose lives and liberties are often defined by religious and cultural norms-change in the world of business and technology over the next fifty years? What kinds of cultural literacy do international organizations like the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme need to work effectively together with local communities? This course offers an introduction to the sociology of religion as a component of international development across South Asia (Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh) since the 1980s with an emphasis on these often-overlooked but vital issues and questions. Recommended background: one course on Islam or Asian religions or one introductory course in economics, politics, or sociology.