10/07/2025 15:15 - 17:30

HALL: Dean's Hall of the Faculty of Catholic Theology

Speaker: Ruml M.

This panel explores the phenomenon of Western converts to non-Western faith traditions through the lens of (post)colonial theory, interrogating whether such conversions represent an extension of cultural colonialism or a genuine engagement with religious diversity. For the purpose of this panel, conversion is broadly defined to include both formal conversion or the adoption of faith practices without formal conversion.


As Western individuals increasingly adopt spiritual practices and religious identities rooted in traditions such as Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and indigenous religions, questions arise about the power dynamics, cultural appropriation, and authenticity involved in these acts. Are these conversions an unintentional assertion of Western hegemony over global faith traditions, or can they signify a meaningful de-centering of Western spiritual paradigms?


The panel will explore how the legacy of colonialism/Western hegemony complicates the relationship between Western converts and the communities they join, highlighting issues of representation, privilege, and economic disparity. Particular attention will be given to how Western converts reshape these traditions, whether by exoticizing them, adapting them to Western sensibilities, or perpetuating orientalist and essentialist frameworks. Furthermore, the panel examines the responses of non-Western communities to these conversions, considering both moments of solidarity and tension.


By drawing on interdisciplinary approaches, this discussion seeks to illuminate the ways in which conversion intersects with broader themes of cultural exchange, appropriation, and resistance in a postcolonial world. We invite papers which take both/either a contemporary or historical focus as well as those which take a comparative approach.