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A massive religious transformation has unfolded over the past forty years in Latin America and the Caribbean. In a region where the Catholic Church could once claim a near monopoly of adherents, religious pluralism has fundamentally altered the social and religious landscape.onversion of a Continent'' brings together twelve original essays that document and explore competing explanations for how and why conversion has occurred. Contributors draw on various insights from social movement theory to religious studies to help outline its impact on national attitudes and activities, gender relations, identity politics, and reverse waves of missions from Latin America aimed at the American immigrant community.Unlike other studies on religious conversion, this volume pays close attention to who converts, under what circumstances, the meaning of conversion to the individual, and how the change affects converts' beliefs and actions. The thematic focus makes this volume important to students and scholars in both religious studies and Latin American studies.
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Conversion of a Continent VVVVVVVVVVV Conversion of a Continent Contemporary Religious Change in Latin America EDITED BY T I MOT H Y J. S T E I G ENG A A N D E D WA R D L . C L E A R Y VVVVVVVVVVV RUTGER S UNI V ER SIT Y PR ESS NE W BRUNSW ICK, NE W JER SE Y, A ND LONDON LIBR A RY OF CONGR ESS C ATA LOGING-IN-PUBLIC AT ION DATA Conversion of a continent : contemporary religious change in Latin America / edited by Timothy J. Steigenga and Edward L. Cleary. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8135- 201-0 (hardcover : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-0-8135- 202-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Latin America--Religion. Timothy J., 1965– BL25 0.C67 2. Conversion--Latin America. I. Steigenga, II. Cleary, Edward L. 2007 20 '.2--dc22 2007006032 CIP A British Cataloging-in-Publication record for this book is available from the British Library. This collection copyright © 2007 by Rutgers, The State University Individual chapters copyright © 2007 in the names of their authors All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. Please contact Rutgers University Press, 100 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 0885 –8099. The only exception to this prohibition is “fair use” as defined by U.S. copyright law. Visit our Web site: http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu Manufactured in the United States of America CONTENTS Acknowledgments vii PART ONE Approaches to Conversion 1 Understanding Conversion in the Americas 3 TIMOTH Y J. STEIGENGA AND EDWA R D L . CLEA RY 2 Analyzing Conversion in Latin America: Theoretical Questions, Methodological Dilemmas, and Comparative Data from Argentina and Brazil 33 A LEJANDRO FR IGER IO 3 Conversion Careers in Latin America: Entering and Leaving Church among Pentecostals, Catholics, and Mormons 52 HENR I GOOR EN 4 Specialized Spirits: Conversion and the Products of Pneumacentric Religion in Latin America’s Free Market of Faith 72 ANDR EW CHESNUT 5 Relational Analysis of Religious Conversion and Social Change: Networks and Publics in Latin American Evangelicalism DAV ID SMILDE v 93 vi CONTENTS PART TWO Conversion to What? 6 Conversion from Afro-Brazilian Religions to Neo-Pentecostalism: Opening New Horizons of the Possible 115 PATR ICI A BIR MAN 7