Chumash Conversions: The Historical Dynamics of Religious Change in Native California

The historical dynamics of religious change among the Chumash constitute a compelling case for the academic study of conversion. Within 250 years the community has experienced two major cultural transitions: first, European colonization after 1772, and second, indigenous revitalization since 1968. A...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Numen
Main Author: Paldam, Ella (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2017
In: Numen
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B California / Chumash / Conversion (Religion) / Cultural change / History 1750-2017
RelBib Classification:AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
AX Inter-religious relations
BB Indigenous religions
KBQ North America
TJ Modern history
TK Recent history
Further subjects:B Chumash Indians religious conversion indigenous revitalization Roman Catholicism Native American religion New Age spirituality
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:The historical dynamics of religious change among the Chumash constitute a compelling case for the academic study of conversion. Within 250 years the community has experienced two major cultural transitions: first, European colonization after 1772, and second, indigenous revitalization since 1968. Although both events implicate changes in religiosity, ethnohistorians and anthropologists tend to regard religious conversion as a byproduct of other cultural forces. This paper takes a different approach because conversion is understood as a force that in itself contributes to cultural transition. The relative distribution of the four most significant religious traditions since colonization is traced using a model that synthesizes prevailing insights from conversion research into an analytical matrix that may be applied to historical and contemporary qualitative data. Approaching cultural change among indigenous peoples as conversion brings a renewed focus on religiosity as a cultural strategy at the same time as it contributes to a cross-cultural perspective on conversion.
ISSN:1568-5276
Contains:In: Numen
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15685276-12341482