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Why did so many rulers throughout history risk converting to a new religion brought by outsiders? In his award-winning Unearthly Powers (2019), Alan Strathern set out a theoretical framework for understanding the relation between religion and political authority based on a distinction between two kinds of religion - immanentism and transcendentalism - and the different ways they made monarchy sacred. This ambitious and innovative companion volume tests and substantiates this approach using case studies from Kongo (1480–1530), Japan (1560–1614), Ayutthaya (Thailand, 1660–1690) and Hawaii (1800–1830). Through in-depth analysis of key turning points in the careers of warlords, chiefs and kings, a tapestry of unique characters and stories is brought to light. However, these examples ultimately demonstrate that global patterns of conversion can be established to illuminate the religious geography of the world today.
‘How do we understand religious conversion in global history? In particular, what might lead chiefs and rulers to convert to new religions? It’s an important question, and Strathern has fascinating answers. This book, a companion to his much admired Unearthly Powers, takes the reader on a religious conversion tour, stopping in the Congo, Japan, Siam, and Hawaii. Each case is at once deeply individual, carefully contextualized, and linked to larger theories about conversion. Vital reading for anyone who wants to understand religious conversion in world history.’
Tonio Andrade - Professor of Chinese and Global History, Emory University
'How do we explain the patterns of acceptance or resistance to Christianity displayed by traditional rulers? Using examples ranging from sixteenth-century Kongo and Japan to nineteenth-century Hawaii, Strathern’s answer pays due attention to local particulars within a stimulating theoretical framework. Studies of ‘top-down’ conversion will ignore this book at their peril.’
Brian Stanley - Professor Emeritus of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh
‘Adding empirical detail as well as analytical grasp Converting Rulers enhances the remarkable intellectual acuity of Unearthly Powers. Alan Strathern confirms his place among leading voices in current global history. No student of religion or global history can ignore this achievement.’
Jeroen Duindam - Chair of Early Modern History/Comparative History, Leiden University Institute for History
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