Between the institutional structure and the external dialogue: rationalization paths in Christians organizations

• Grant number: 17/18687-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2018
• End date: January 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Sociology - Other specific Sociologies
• Principal Investigator: André Ricardo de Souza
• Grantee: André Ricardo de Souza
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/06518-5 - Follow-up on rationalization aimed to outside of organizations, BP.TT; 18/06542-3 - Christian organizations, racionalization, interreligious dialogue, voluntary work, NGOs, fund-raising, BP.TT

Abstract

This project follows and deepens previous research done with support from FAPESP on Brazilian Christian features, embracing Catholicism, Protestantism and also Kardecist Spiritism, due to the materialization of the Christian principle of charity promoted by Spiritists. This time the research turns specifically to the process of rationalization in certain Christian organizations, which basically has two different directions and therefore brings together two distinct groups of organizations to be investigated. The first is inward-directed rationalization, in the sense of institutional structuring and increasing professionalization or bureaucratization. The second one is turned outwards, aiming at interlocution of the organization with other more, including those with different religious identities and also with the public power in favor of citizenship rights. Parallelly to the analysis of this process in these two groups, it will be also analyzed the rationalization that has caused people moved by Christian values to found and develop lay care organizations, in order to focus on such a case. As this research deals with economic aspects regarding the fund raising and management of resources by the religious organizations in focus, it also continues to follow the research line of the previous project, namely: the relationship between religion and economy. The proposed research, of course, has a strong Weberian point of reference. (AU)