Understanding Connectivity: Cosmopolitan Ethics, Faith-­based Organizations and Formation of Networks in the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict

Abstract: The aim of this study is to establish a comparative perspective of the Church ofSweden and Finn Church Aid (FCA) as development actors. The research willconcentrate on the study of the similarities and differences of their methods andapproaches. As case studies I will focus on the principles of the EAPPI program andLabeling the Origins campaigns. Methodologically, I shall study the interrelatednessof the practices and methods of specific actors with values and ethical positions and,especially, concentrate on the discussions dealing with discourses ofcosmopolitanism, Christian ethics and their overlaps. Narratives are used tocomplement discursive analysis. The theoretical framework consists of variouscosmopolitan theories that are applied to analyze the ideological aspects of the faith-based organization’s methods. The ethical aspects are presented from differentperspectives to create an understanding of the diversity of how cosmopolitanism canbe comprehended in relation to Christianity. The comparative perspective has createdan understanding of how networks are formed and how the same themes are presentin different organizations but guided by different discursive formations. This alsopoints towards the understanding that the perspective of networks is more significantthan countries or actors.