Rethinking Religious Conversion: Bodies, People and Processes

by Jack Williams, J. Aaron Simmons (Editor), Kevin Schilbrack (Editor)

Overview

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.

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.

Rethinking Religious Conversion 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350383258
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/28/2026
Series:	Expanding Philosophy of Religion
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jack Williams is an Independent Scholar, UK.

J. Aaron Simmons is Professor of Philosophy at Furman University, USA.

Kevin Schilbrack is Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Appalachian State University, USA.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations
Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part I. Context
1. What is Conversion?
2. Embodiment as the Existential Context of Conversion
3. Conversion and Changing Religious Beliefs

Part II. Conversion
4. Language: Linguistic Communities and The Affectivity of Speech
5. Community: The Affective Need to Belong
6. Ritual: Embodied World Construction

Conclusion

Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

This is a creative monograph in the best traditions of empirically-based Study of Religion/s which mounts a sophisticated interdisciplinary argument in favour of the corporeal site of conversion in subjects' experience.” —Steven Sutcliffe, University of Edinburgh, UK

“In this multi-dimensional exploration of the dynamics of religious conversion, Jack Williams offers an illuminating account of a process that cannot be reduced to a mere change of mind. Describing the cognitive, affective, social, and embodied elements that characterize conversion, he provides a rich interpretation of a significant phenomenon.” —David Fergusson, University of Cambridge, UK

“With an interdisciplinary and multireligious sensibility, Jack Williams has produced a study of religious conversion that breaks new ground in philosophy of religion. Making proficient use of philosophical methods, both analytic and phenomenological, Rethinking Religious Conversion engages productively with various areas of religious studies and the study of human cognition. While keenly focused on the complex phenomenon of religious conversion, the book typifies a way forward for philosophy of religion more broadly.” —Mikel Burley, University of Leeds, UK

From the Publisher