The Challenge of Placing Spirituality within Geographies of Development

Abstract

AbstractDebate surrounding spirituality has been gaining prominence within development studies. In contrast to the limited consideration previously given to this issue, recent research is articulating the way that practices of spirituality and development inform one another. Geographies of development must therefore also address these concerns. This is particularly important given the relevance of the spatial politics within this debate to aspects of contemporary human geography. I suggest an embodied geographical approach to be an important way of responding to these debates and the way that they intersect each other, as well as an appropriate place for addressing issues of spirituality within development geography. I discuss how an embodied approach might also address some of the underlying and enduring tensions for development theory and practice, which are, namely, the challenge of negotiating predetermined lacks in the context of multiple and complex relationships.