Description

The “religious” and the “economic” are often figured as distinct modes of social life, or seen as contrasting approaches to the world. Yet careful attention to the relationship between religion and economy affords potentially illuminating interpretations of both, as an expanding cohort of scholars has increasingly come to emphasize. In this context, researchers at Brown University, Florida State University, and New York University will launch an initiative devoted to identifying and fostering connections between the religious and economic dimensions of human flourishing, with a particular focus on the intersection of religion, economy, and mutual aid. Building upon the proliferation of mutual aid networks during the COVID-19 pandemic, the initiative will aim to amplify this momentum by gathering and sharing wisdom, knowledge, and expertise. 
Acknowledging that existing systems of economic and social support do not adequately meet the needs of people lacking power and wealth, “mutual aid” projects focus on meeting needs through collective coordination and mobilization. Through a variety of forms—including the shared management of resources—mutual aid initiatives work to dismantle harmful systems and create social relations and infrastructures that are more survivable. Building on recent scholarship focused on religion and capitalism, and engaged with ongoing movements for justice, the proposed initiative will approach the concept and practice of mutual aid as an opportunity to cultivate new directions in the study of religion and economy, while also deepening public scholarly engagement with practices of mutual aid.  
Treating the study and practice of mutual aid as intertwined realms of analysis and action, the initiative will develop a community of mutual aid scholars and practitioners, and create new funding opportunities to expand mutual aid study and practice. Over the course of two years, the project’s leaders will regularly convene a working group, including scholars who specialize in religion and economy, organizers working on the frontlines of mutual aid theory and practice, and those already engaged as scholar-activists who connect religion and practices of mutual aid. Connecting through its members with existing groups and already established lines of work, in the academy and on the ground, the working group will encourage diverse knowledge makers to find new forms of collaboration, explore how and why the realm of religion has sometimes appeared antagonistic to proponents of mutual aid, facilitate a mapping of the state of the field, and craft frameworks to sustain its collaborative work into the future. 
Recommendation: That the Directors of the Henry Luce Foundation approve a two-year grant of $250,000 to New York University to support “Religion, Economy, and Mutual Aid.” 
https://www.nyu.edu/