The question of the relationship between religion and other phcnome n · that come within its conceptual and semantic field, such as values, '1!1 the one hand, and modern economic development, 011 the other, h~zyxwvutsrqp 1' occupied the minds of scholars since the last century. \x'./hile the issw· was first dealt with theoretically and sociologically by lhn Khaldun in the fourteenth century AD, it was taken up again in systematic fashinn by European classical social theorists in the nineteenth century. Ry rl-: turn of the twentieth century, North American, Japanese, and Jndi~11• sociologists, economists, and political scientists began to write ;1b01_1r the work ethic and other cultural or non-economic fauor.'' cl development. Since the Second World War many others have joined in the debate. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss a number nl fundamental problems that underlie the media and academic discour:'e surrounding the question of religion and development in East Asi» rh~1r have to do with problematic Orientalist constructions. Owing to the vastness of the field, however, there is the problem zyxwvutsrqpo cl delineating my area of concern for this chapter. The field is vast, CO\'eri11g various world religions, numerous disciplines in the social sciences, :111-! a multitude of topics such as industrialization, economic gm·· rl1 education, and business firms. In addition, one has also to consider tf,,. budget of concepts that are related to religion such as ideology, oilt111'' values, and the work ethic. Even if one chooses to focus on a region <:ucl1 as Southeast Asia, one is not left with a more manageable task. Syed Farid Alatas RELIGION, VALUES, AND CAPITALISM IN ASIA. CHAPTER 4 Wolf, Eric. zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA l:urope and the Peoples Without History. Berkeley: University. of C re . Press, 1982. .a irorrna Woo, ~nrEcn.lRacbe.to th~ Szui(i: State and Finance in Korean Industrialization. New or · .o um ta University Press, 1991. Wood, Ellen Meiksins. The Pristine Cl.dture of Capitalism. London: Verso, 1991. \Xforld Bank. Accelerated Development in Sub-Saharan Africa· An A d. fi A . Washington, DC: World Bank, 1981. . gen a or ctzon. -- - - -- .' The East Asian Miracle: Economic Growth andPublic Policy. Oxfo d· 0 fc d Urnverstty Press, 1993. r · x or . (_)_c. ·™dorl~ Devdopment Report: 1997. The State in a Changing World Oxford: . xror University Press, J 997. J