Converting Rulers: Kongo, Japan, Thailand, Hawaii and Global Patterns, 1450-1850 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781108702102)

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.

Author: Alan Strathern
ISBN-10: 1108702104
ISBN-13: 9781108702102
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 11/21/2024
Pages: 350
Format: Paperback