Doing Better? Religion, the Virtue-Ethics of Development, and the Fragmentation of Health Politics in Tanzania

In recent years, relationships among religion, development, and globalization have been discussed critically with regard to the potentially beneficial as well as detrimental opportunities that the work of faith-based organizations (FBOs) presents in relation to HIV/AIDS. Drawing on the case studies of two neo-Pentecostal congregations in Dar es Salaam, this article describes how religious actors in urban Tanzania—including those who have not benefited from international funding—have repositioned themselves in relation to the discourses, practices, and market opportunities triggered by globalization and transnational development. This article also discusses the fragmentation and transnationalization of the healthcare sector in Tanzania, where the focus on FBOs represents only a minor aspect, which may pave the ground for promoting individual congregations' strongly conservative and morally driven agendas.