The Anthropology of Religious Conversion (The Reynolds Series in Sociology) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0742517772 ISBN 13: 9780742517776

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (UK), 2003

Synopsis

The Anthropology of Religious Conversion paints a picture of conversion far more complex than its customary image in anthropology and religious studies. Conversion is very seldom simply a sudden moment of insight or inspiration; it is a change both of individual consciousness and of social belonging, of mental attitude and of physical experience, whose unfolding depends both on its cultural setting and on the distinct individuals who undergo it. The book explores religious conversion in a variety of cultural settings and considers how anthropological approaches can help us understand the phenomenon. Fourteen case studies span historical and geographical contexts, including the contemporary United States, modern and medieval Europe, and non-western societies in South Asia, Melanesia, and South America. They discuss conversion to Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and Spiritualism. Combining ethnographic description with theoretical analysis, authors consider the nature and meaning of conversion, its social and political dimensions, and its relationship to individual religious experience.

About this title

About the Author

Andrew Buckser is an assistant professor of anthropology at Purdue University. Stephen D. Glazier is a professor of anthropology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Edition details

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (UK)
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0742517772
• ISBN 13: 9780742517776
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256
• Editor: Stephen D. Glazier, Andrew Buckser