Rethinking Religious Conversion

Drawing on methods from religious studies philosophy and cognitive science Jack Williams develops a unique and interdisciplinary approach to the study of religious conversion. This is the first major philosophical study of conversion to treat the phenomenon as a long-term process shaped by the convert's embodiment and immersion in a linguistic social and ritual community.<br/> <br/> Williams' analysis of the conversion process is rooted in a view of cognition as both embodied and affective and is informed by the latest research in phenomenology affect theory neuroscience and enactivist cognitive science. In conversation with diverse conversion narratives he advances a theory of conversion that is not restricted to a modern Western context but that can be applied to experiences of conversion across global history and culture.<br/> <br/> <i>Rethinking Religious Conversion</i> displays an original approach to the philosophical study of diverse religious practices. By bringing together a diverse array of contemporary and historical scholarship it revitalizes the study of conversion for both philosophy and religious studies.