Conversions to Islam have recently become a major topic of interest for contemporary Western societies, which in turn warrants a rigorous scientific inquiry. In line with the current geopolitical context, conversions to Islam attract significant state and media attention. Radicalized converts often make the headlines, generating bafflement and suspicion in European public opinions. Social science research has recently seized upon this highly controversial matter in order to take the heat out of the debate and offer a more nuanced and balanced perspective on the phenomenon, far from dominant media representations. Over the last few years, the number of academic publications on the topic has increased dramatically, covering a wide range of Western countries, including France (LePape, 2007; Puzenat, 2010; Mossière, 2014; Riva, 2015), the UK (Köse, 1996; Bourque, 1998; Zebiri, 2007; Jawad, 2011; Moosavi, 2012; Suleiman, 2013; Gilham, 2014), Belgium (Leman, 2010), Switzerland (Leuenberger), the Netherlands (Van Nieuwkerk, 2008), Germany (Özyürek, 2014), Norway (Roald, 2006), Sweden (McGinty, 2006; Roald, 2012), Denmark (Jensen, 2008), Spain (Rogozen-Soltar, 2012), Italy (Allievi, 1998), the United States (McCloud, 1995; Jackson, 2005; Winchester, 2008; Tourage, 2012), Quebec (Mossière, 2014) and Australia (Woodlock, 2010). This burgeoning literature is however extremely diverse as far as its theoretical and methodological outlooks are concerned. The objective of the conference is to invite scholars working on conversions to Islam to be reflexive about their epistemological choices and to discuss the consequences of such choices in a collegial environment. In particular, we wish to reflect on the possibility to combine different approaches to perfect our understanding of religious conversion. More specifically, we are looking for paper proposals falling under the following axes:

 Axis n°1: Methodological Issues

Due to the lack of statistical data on conversions to Islam, most social science research relies on qualitative methods. The interview, semi-directive or not, is widely used and “conversion narratives” have become a key feature of the literature (Hermansen, 1999; Yamane, 2000; Popp-Baier, 2001; LePape, 2005). For this workshop, we are expecting papers reflecting on the advantages and disadvantages of the interview method to investigate conversion to Islam. We are also looking for papers relying on other methods such as ethnography, participant observation, focus groups, online questionnaires, textual analysis (biographies, blogs, social networks), network analysis, survey data, statistical analysis, archival research, panel/longitudinal data, etc. Moreover, while most of the literature consists of national monographs focusing on the present time, we are also welcoming contributions using a historical approach (Garcia-Arenal, 1999) or relying on international comparison (Daynes, 1999; McGinty, 2006; Wohlrab-Sahr, 2006; Leman et al., 2010; Mossière, 2014; Galonnier, à paraître). The objective of this workshop will be to identify the respective contributions of these various methods and to reflect on the possibilities to combine them in the most fruitful manner.

One of the key concerns of the literature on religious conversion is to decide whether converts possess full agency over their religious transformation or whether they operate under the constraints of social determinism or the influence of larger religious movements. Several authors have investigated the macro-social forces that brought about massive conversions to Islam over history, irrespective of individual trajectories (Arnold, 1896; Bulliet, 1979; Levtzion, 1979; Luckmann, 1999). This type of analysis goes against purely individualistic understandings of conversion that focus exclusively on converts’ personal motives. Other authors have focused on the social determinisms (gender, social class, ethnicity) that shape conversion trajectories (Köse, 1996). The literature on female converts to Islam (Bourque, 2006; Haddad, 2006; Van Nieuwkerk, 2006; Mossière, 2014; Riva, 2015) is particularly significant in that regard since it investigates both the influence of gender dynamics on conversion as well as the way gender norms are reconfigurated and reappropriated throughout the conversion process. Halfway between these macrosociological and microsociological perspectives, we also find an important literature on the intermediary role of collective life and religious groups (such as revival movements - da’wah - or convert associations) (Poston, 1992). For this workshop, we are expecting proposals reflecting on the role of religious movements and the influence of social determinisms at the micro, mezzo and macro levels. We also welcome contributions that explore the way converts transcend those very determinisms in order to challenge and redefine the social norms that weigh upon them.

The conversion ceremony (public or private recitation of the shahada) is usually followed by a long period of religious learning, which often spans over several years (Jensen, 2006; Winchester, 2008; Van Nieuwkerk, 2014). Thus, while conversion to Islam is often presented as a final and terminal act, embodying a radical rupture between the time « before » and the time « after », this workshop will rather focus on conversion as a continuous social process spreading over time. We are expecting papers that explore the way converts incorporate new beliefs and practices in their daily lives, develop a Muslim habitus and become part of Muslim religious communities. Moreover, although they are a marginal phenomenon, we also hope to reflect on the radicalization trajectories of some converts as well as the notion of “indoctrination,” which warrants a careful scientific investigation.

Several authors have argued that Islam has been ethnicized and racialized in most Western societies (Bayoumi, 2006; Meer and Modood, 2010; Meer, 2013; Selod and Embrick, 2013). As a result, conversion to Islam is inextricably intertwined with ethno-racial considerations (Franks, 2000; Alam, 2012; Larisse, 2013; Brun, 2014; Özyürek, 2014; Galonnier, 2015; Moosavi, 2015). In light of the current geopolitical context, conversion to Islam is also often interpreted as a form of national treason. During this workshop, we will approach conversion to Islam from an ethnic and racial studies perspective. We welcome contributions that investigate the way converts navigate the ethno-racial stigma attached to their new religion as well as the strategies they use to face Islamophobia. The objective of the workshop will be to reflect on the relevance of framing converts’ lived experience in terms of identity, discrimination, stigmatization and racism. We also welcome papers that investigate the multiple and hybrid identities resulting from conversion to Islam.

Juliette Galonnier (juliette.galonnier@sciencespo.fr) is a PhD candidate in Sociology in the joint PhD program between Sciences Po Paris (OSC) and Northwestern University (Chicago). Her dissertation provides a comparative analysis of the experience of converts to Islam in France and the United States. Using in-depth interviewing and ethnography, she investigates how French and American converts navigate the racialization of Islam on the two sides of the Atlantic, thereby highlighting the specificities of each national context.

Hamzi Khateb (hamzi.khateb@sciencespo.fr) is a PhD candidate in Political theory at Sciences Po Paris (CEVIPOF) and in Sociology at EHESS Paris (CEIAS). His dissertation deals with the issue of moral responsibility as experienced by converts to Islam, who have to navigate both Quranic and French Republican laws. Using a 2-year long longitudinal study conducted with Muslim converts, he analyzes their religious socialization through the concept of moral responsibility. The objective is to understand how the idea of responsibility unfolds as a social object, torn between Muslim laws/norms/values on the one hand and French Republic laws/norms/values on the other. More specifically, he investigates how these norms take shape through converts’ actions and religious practices.

Amélie Puzenat (amelie.puzenat@uco.fr) owns a PhD degree from the University Paris 7 and is currently Assistant professor in Sociology at the Université catholique de l’Ouest and fellow researcher at the ESO research center. Her dissertation focused on the gender and identity reconfigurations brought about by conversions to Islam in France. Paying special attention to family relations, she investigates converts’ religiosity from the perspective of marital life, generational transmission and schooling. She has recently published Conversions à l'islam: unions et séparations (2015). 

Sylvie Taussig (sylvie.taussig@gmail.com) is a researcher at  CNRS, at the centre Jean Pépin, UMR 8230, in classical literature. She is the president of the association Irène, a study group on religion. Her research interests include, among other things, the issue of religions and Islam in France. She has published  Les musulmans en France : courants, institutions, communautés : un état des lieux (2009) and L'islam en France (2008). She frequently organizes conferences and seminars on the topic. 

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