Synopses & Reviews
Faith Based explores how the Religious Right has supported neoliberalism in the United States, bringing a particular focus to welfareandmdash;an arena where conservative Protestant politics and neoliberal economic ideas come together most clearly. Through case studies of gospel rescue missions, Habitat for Humanity, and religious charities in post-Katrina New Orleans, Jason Hackworth describes both the theory and practice of faith-based welfare, revealing fundamental tensions between the religious and economic wings of the conservative movement.
Hackworth begins by tracing the fusion of evangelical religious conservatism and promarket, antigovernment activism, which resulted in what he calls andldquo;religious neoliberalism.andrdquo; He argues that neoliberalismandmdash;the ideological sanctification of private property, the individual, and antistatist politicsandmdash;has rarely been popular enough on its own to promote wide change. Rather, neoliberals gain the most traction when they align their efforts with other discourses and ideas. The promotion of faith-based alternatives to welfare is a classic case of coalition building on the Right. Evangelicals get to provide social services in line with Biblical tenets, while opponents of big government chip away at the public safety net.
Though religious neoliberalism is most closely associated with George W. Bushandrsquo;s Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the idea predates Bush and continues to hold sway in the Obama administration. Despite its success, however, Hackworth contends that religious neoliberalism remains an uneasy allianceandmdash;a fusion that has been tested and frayed by recent events.
Review
andldquo;Faith Based presents a penetrating analysis of the andlsquo;fusion projectandrsquo; forged between the Religious Right and the true believers of free-market economics. Focusing on the contested field of social welfare policy, Hackworth takes us inside this sometimes unhappy but nevertheless consequential marriage, where rupture always seems more likely than rapture.andrdquo;andmdash;Jamie Peck, author of Constructions of Neoliberal Reason
Review
andldquo;Hackworthandrsquo;s study begins to remedy the absence of attention to religion within the critical scholarship on neoliberalism, and it will push this literature in a new and much-needed direction. Faith Based is very accessible and interesting, and it moves along nicely. Itandrsquo;s a great book.andrdquo;andmdash;Jason Dittmer, author of Popular Culture, Geopolitics, and Identity
Review
andldquo;Faith Based explores how the Religious Right has supported neoliberalism in the U.S. offering case studies of gospel rescue missions, religious charities in action in post-Katrina New Orleans, and more. . . . The result is a fine guide that discusses coalition building on the right as it relates to faith-based alternatives to welfare: a fine pick for any spirituality collection.andrdquo;andmdash; Midwest Book Review
Review
andldquo;This insightful book explains the partial fusion of religious conservatism and libertarian economies in the US. . . . [It] will be valuable for research libraries, graduate students, and upper-level undergraduate students interested in religion and politics, social welfare, and nonprofit organizations.andrdquo;andmdash;D. B. Robertson, Choice
Review
andldquo;This is an interesting study of the interplay of religion, economics and politics.andrdquo;andmdash;Al Menendez, Journal of Americans for Religious Liberty
Review
andldquo;At once a critical history of the more conservative arm of the contemporary Right; a penetrating sociopolitical analysis of the partyandrsquo;s dismantling of social programs, particularly welfare; and a theoretical exploration of the ramifications thereof, Jason Hackworthandrsquo;s study is a timely and welcome addition to the crowded field of political tomes. . . . For those seeking to develop a more sophisticated engagement with an at times puzzling ideology, Faith Based is a necessary introduction.andrdquo;andmdash;Emily Wojcik, Plop!
Review
andldquo;Faith Based is a welcome exploration of the complexities and tensions within the economic and social strains of the American right.andrdquo;andmdash;David K. Ryden, Political Science Quarterly
Review
andquot;Faith Based contributes a critical exploration of odd evangelical alliances with secular neoliberal political economic ideologies in the United States. Arguing that academic neoliberal theories rarely thrive without parasitic attachment to ideologically driven groups, Hackworth demonstrates that religious neoliberalism, an evangelical parroting of neoliberal tropes, is composed of a fraught relationship between secular politicians and religious practitioners.andquot;andmdash;Justin K. H. Tse, AAG Review of Books
About the Author
Jason Hackworth is an associate professor in the Department of Planning and Geography at the University of Toronto. He is author of
The Neoliberal City: Governance, Ideology, and Development in American Urbanism, which was nominated for the Robert Park Book Award.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction. A Force for Good Greater Than Government
Chapter 1. Faith, Welfare, and Neoliberalism
Chapter 2. Religious Neoliberalism(s)
Chapter 3. Compassionate Neoliberalism?
Chapter 4. Mainstream Jesus Economics
Chapter 5. Practicing Religious Neoliberalism
Chapter 6. Religious Neoliberalism as Default
Chapter 7. End Times for Religious Neoliberalism?
Notes
References
Index