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Engaging with Theological Reflection to Strengthen Humanitarian Response

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Faith, Secularism, and Humanitarian Engagement: Finding the Place of Religion in the Support of Displaced Communities

Part of the book series: Religion and Global Migrations ((RGM))

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Abstract

Theological reflection —particularly regarding the experience of forced migrants themselves—is largely absent from current humanitarian discourse. Framing the experience of exile and the provision of welcome in religious terms is consistent with many faith traditions. However, the coloniality of humanitarian discourse typically serves to disempower these authentic local accounts of experience. Privatization, marginalization, and instrumentalization of religion do not simply serve to insulate humanitarian programming from religious influence but also to undermine the legitimacy and authority of the reasoning and reflection of people of faith in contexts of humanitarian crisis. The theological imaginary, in particular that formed in contexts of migration and marginalization, is a potentially powerful source of insights to challenge the current conceptualization of humanitarian assistance to refugee communities.

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Notes

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK

    Alastair Ager (Director, Professor of Population and Family Health)

  2. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA

    Alastair Ager (Director, Professor of Population and Family Health)

  3. San Diego Organizing Project, USA

    Joey Ager (Community Organizer)

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  1. Alastair Ager
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  2. Joey Ager
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Ager, A., Ager, J. (2015). Engaging with Theological Reflection to Strengthen Humanitarian Response. In: Faith, Secularism, and Humanitarian Engagement: Finding the Place of Religion in the Support of Displaced Communities. Religion and Global Migrations. Palgrave Pivot, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137472144_3

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