Embracing Islam in Switzerland: (Re-)Conversion Between Searching for the Meaning of Life and Social Ties

The pioneer conversion model of Lofland and Stark suggests that people adopt a religion because experiences in their biography motivate them to seek answers regarding the purpose of life, and because they encounter followers of a religion that happens to provide them with convincing answers. We draw...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Authors: Nollert, Michael 1960- (Author) ; Sheikhzadegan, Amir 1956- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group 2022
In: Journal of Muslim minority affairs
Year: 2022, Volume: 42, Issue: 4, Pages: 450-465
Further subjects:B Islam
B Social ties
B Biography
B (re-)conversion motifs
B Switzerland
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:The pioneer conversion model of Lofland and Stark suggests that people adopt a religion because experiences in their biography motivate them to seek answers regarding the purpose of life, and because they encounter followers of a religion that happens to provide them with convincing answers. We draw on the Lofland-Stark model while considering Lofland’s and Skonovd’s concept of conversion motifs to gain a deeper insight into the convert’s story of adopting a new faith. Furthermore, we integrate Paloutzian’s concept of spiritual transformation into our theoretical framework to cover both conversion and reconversion (reversion). Against this conceptual background and applying a combination of narrative-autobiographical interviews with qualitative network analysis, we interviewed 24 converts and reconverts in Switzerland. Based on the findings, we propose a typology along the dimensions of “seeking answers” and “social contacts”.
ISSN:1469-9591
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of Muslim minority affairs
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13602004.2023.2202044