ABSTRACT
This chapter synthesises the responses by religions to COVID-19 in Southern Africa in the context of the discourse on religion and development. Its central argument is that whereas the dominant narrative in scholarly analyses of religion and development has been to insist on whether religion is a positive or negative social force, the chapters in this volume call for an acknowledgement of the fact that the picture is far more complex than this. The chapter briefly explores the growth of the religion and development sub-field within the academic study of religion in order to place the discussion into its proper historical and theoretical perspectives. It then states its central argument, namely, that the relationship between religion and development is more complicated than saying whether religion is a positive or negative factor in the quest for development. The chapter reviews the chapters in this volume and illustrates how religion has been both a positive and negative factor in responding to COVID-19 in Southern Africa. It then draws some conclusions for the discourse on religion and development.
