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Mercenaries and Missionaries: Capitalism and Catholicism in the Global South Paperback – May 15, 2019

by Brandon Vaidyanathan (Author)
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings
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Mercenaries and Missionaries examines the relationship between rapidly diffusing forms of capitalism and Christianity in the Global South. Using more than two hundred interviews in Bangalore and Dubai, Brandon Vaidyanathan explains how and why global corporate professionals straddle conflicting moral orientations in the realms of work and religion. Seeking to place the spotlight on the role of religion in debates about the cultural consequences of capitalism, Vaidyanathan finds that an "apprehensive individualism" generated in global corporate workplaces is supported and sustained by a "therapeutic individualism" cultivated in evangelical-charismatic Catholicism.

Mercenaries and Missionaries uncovers a symbiotic relationship between these individualisms and shows how this relationship unfolds in two global cities―Dubai, in non-democratic UAE, which holds what is considered the world's largest Catholic parish, and Bangalore, in democratic India, where the Catholic Church, though afflicted by ethnic and religious violence, runs many of the city's elite educational institutions. Vaidyanathan concludes that global corporations and religious communities create distinctive cultures, with normative models that powerfully orient people to those cultures―the Mercenary in cutthroat workplaces, and the Missionary in churches. As a result, global corporate professionals in rapidly developing cities negotiate starkly opposing moral commitments in the realms of work and religion, which in turn shapes their civic commitment to these cities.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    294 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Cornell University Press
  4. Publication date
    May 15, 2019
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 0.81 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    150173623X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1501736230
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Vaidyanathan's brilliant ethnography breaks ground in the study of capitalism in the Global South.

― Choice

A fascinating portrait of a certain section of the transnational professional class. It provides an important and sensitive analysis of how such professionals, especially those from developing countries, struggle to integrate their Christian faith with their career ambitions.

― Journal of the American Academy of Religion

Review

Brandon Vaidyanathan manages to contribute in significant ways to the broad areas of globalization and religion, guest-worker transnational migration, the sociology and anthropology of global charismatic Christianity, and [this book] should be used in college courses.

-- José Casanova, Georgetown University, and author of Jesuits and Globalization

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cornell University Press (May 15, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 294 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 150173623X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1501736230
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.81 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings

About the author

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Brandon Vaidyanathan

Brandon Vaidyanathan

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Brandon Vaidyanathan is a sociologist and is currently Associate Professor and Department Chair of Sociology at The Catholic University of America.

He studies the role of culture in commercial, scientific, and religious institutions around the world, and his work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals. His books have examined the relationship between religion and corporate life in India and the Arabian Gulf, and what scientists in eight countries think about religion.

His ongoing research examines the role of aesthetics in shaping scientific inquiry and the ways in which religious communities respond to mental health issues.

For more details visit www.brvnathan.com

Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
2 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Gary John Adler, Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars Shows why connecting religion to work is difficult to do.
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2019
The book provides a tour of neoliberalism as experienced by “professionals” living in Dubai and Bangalore. These individuals are piecing together lives characterized by frequent career switches, distrusting work environments, and intensive individuation, as workers shoulder responsibility for success as well as failure.

Does their religion--charismatic Catholicism--make a difference? Yes and no. Brandon provides both contextual and cultural answers, showing how religious identity gets sidelined in various ways. He uses interviews and observations to provide a striking picture of his research.

Sociologists interested in work, religion, and culture should read this. Theologians or ethicists interested to understand how neoliberal capitalism plays out in "good jobs," and why these are relatively impermeable to religious influence, should read it too.
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Audra
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book for sociologists and general public alike
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2019
Mercenaries and Missionaries is a wonderful book with something for everyone. Professional sociologists will appreciate Vaidyanathan's clearly articulated concepts, theory-building, and decentering of the West as a site of investigation. Students and lay readers will be introduced to classic sociological concepts peppered throughout the book that help explain the observations, making this a wonderful book for a general introductory class. All readers will enjoy engaging prose, including Vaidyanathan's personal touches describing his experiences in the field, as well insight into cultures and contexts they might be unfamiliar with, whether it's India, the UAE, Catholicism, or Pentecostalism.
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