'The people know they need religion in order to develop': the relationships between Hindu and Buddhist religious teachings, values and beliefs, and visions of the future in Pune, India.

Abstract

This paper explores how Hindu and Buddhist people living in Pune's slums understand, relate to and challenge the world in which they live. It explores the beliefs and values that shape visions of the future towards which people strive. The paper begins by drawing out the values and beliefs about which people talk and then considers how these may or may not impact on their perceptions of their current circumstances and their construction of goals for the future. Much of the paper focuses on the role of different types of leaders and teachers in the process of communicating religious beliefs and the values that shape people's world views.

Citation

Working Paper No. 51, Religions and Development Research Programme, University of Birmingham, UK, 43 pp.

‘The people know they need religion in order to develop’: the relationships between Hindu and Buddhist religious teachings, values and beliefs, and visions of the future in Pune, India.

Updates to this page

Published 1 January 2010