Religious Identity and Social Change: Explaining Christian conversion in a Muslim world (Routledge Advances in Sociology) - Softcover

Radford, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0367869756 ISBN 13: 9780367869755

Publisher: Routledge, 2019

Synopsis

Religious Identity and Social Change offers a macro and micro analysis of the dynamics of rapid social and religious change occurring within the Muslim world. Drawing on rich ethnographic and quantitative research in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, David Radford provides theoretical insight into the nature of religious and social change and ethnic identity transformation exploring significant questions concerning why people convert and what happens when they do so. A crisis of identity occurs when religious conversion takes place, especially from one major religious tradition (Islam) to another (Christianity); and where religious identity is intimately connected to ethnic and national identity. Radford argues for the importance of recognising the socially constructed nature of identity involving the dynamic interplay between human agency, culture and social networks. Kyrgyz Christians have been active agents in bringing religious and identity transformation building upon the contextual parameters in which they are situated.

About this title

About the Author

David Radford is Senior Research Fellow at the Hawke Research Institute, where he is Lecturer in the Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences at the University of South Australia.

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0367869756
• ISBN 13: 9780367869755
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 228