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CONVERSIO - Conversion, apostasy and religious change in Early Medieval Iberia

Project description

Faith and friction in early mediaeval Iberia

Religious conversion is a profound cultural encounter. In early mediaeval Iberia, waves of migration and shifting power saw Christians, Jews, and Muslims collide, co-exist, and convert. But every convert becomes, by definition, an apostate (one who turns away from a former faith). Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the CONVERSIO project explores this double-edged process, analysing Christian Latin texts from the 5th to 9th centuries to understand how apostates were viewed and punished. By studying legal and religious reactions to these conversions, CONVERSIO explores anxieties and self-definitions of religious communities. This offers vital perspective on how identity, belief, and belonging have long been tightly (sometimes violently) intertwined.

Objective

Cultural clashes, encounters and exchanges are part and parcel of what makes us humans. Throughout the history of humanity, uncountable encounters are documented, and even though these exchanges are not always equal in terms of the consequences they have for the groups involved, it is certain they all mutually influence each other, a process that brings about change. Religious conversion is one example of such encounters and exchanges, in which an old faith and world view must be substituted by a new one. The process of religious conversion can be highly diverse, but one feature remains the same: a converter that changes from one religion to another will inevitably be also an apostate. Thus, conversion and apostasy are two sides of the same coin. CONVERSIO will study the complex phenomenon of religious conversion and apostasy in Early Medieval Iberia, a region that offers an interesting case study because it witnessed multiple waves of migrations and conversions across its history. CONVERSIO puts contemporary discussions of culture clashes and the role of religion in society into historical context through a thorough reappraisal of earlier episodes of momentous religious change. This project aims to analyse Christian Latin sources relating to the conversion and apostasy of other peoples to Christianity and vice-versa, focusing on the interaction between Christians, Jews and Muslims from the 5th to the 9th century in Early medieval Iberia during the Visigothic Kingdom and the first period of Islamic domination.
The analysis will investigate legal and religious discourse about apostates in order to understand how and why apostates were seen and dealt with, with so harsh measures. Ultimately, I aim to understand how the significance that religious communities ascribe to the ‘crime’ of apostasy can provide precious information about the solidity and coherence of their own religious identity.

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITA CA' FOSCARI VENEZIA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 407 584,02
Address
DORSODURO 3246
30123 VENEZIA
Italy

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Region
Nord-Est Veneto Venezia
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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