Faith-based development organizations have become a central part of the lives of the women of rural Rajasthan, and have come to represent an important aspect of both individual and collective identities. And yet, religious teachings continue to be used to exclude women from public decision making forums and render them vulnerable to increasing levels of domestic violence. In a unique multi-disciplinary approach, combining a range of subjects, particularly gender studies, Bradley provides a unique study of the contradictory and complex role of development organisations and faith organizations in the lives of women in rural Rajasthan. This book will be of interest to students, researchers and policy makers involved in various fields, including those of Development Studies, Religion, Gender Studies and Social Anthropology.

Tamsin Bradley is Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology at London Metropolitan University. She is the author of 'Challenging the NGOs: Women and Western Dialogues in India' (I.B.Tauris, 2006).