Conversion to Islam as religious and racial crossing

Juliette Galonnier (1)

1 CERI - Centre de recherches internationales (Sciences Po, CNRS)

Conversion is frequently depicted as an inner reversal of the soul, a solitary gesture that marks the individual as free from social constraints. Such conception is found in conventional accounts of conversion but also in the narratives that converts themselves tell about their religious transformation. Notwithstanding the great diversity of trajectories and motives, conversion stories are often strikingly similar: they all put the stress on the individual and individuating nature of conversion, and rely on an exaltation of singularity and self-fulfillment. Yet, the reality of the social world is often different. Because religion is never just about the soul, but also about society and social boundaries, shifting religions places converts at the crossroads of many collective issues.

Keywords: Religious conversion; islam; History; Racialization

Domains: Humanities and Social Sciences; Sociology

Juliette Galonnier. Conversion to Islam as religious and racial crossing. 2018. ⟨hal-03392826⟩