Religious Change and Indigenous Peoples
The Making of Religious Identities
Helena Onnudottir and Adam Possamai, both at the University of Western Sydney, Australia and Bryan S. Turner, City University of New York, USA and the University of Western Sydney, Australia
https://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9781409448679
Vitality of Indigenous Religions Series
Exploring religious and spiritual changes which have been taking place among Indigenous populations in Australia and New Zealand, this book focuses on important changes in religious affiliation in census data over the last 15 years. Drawing on both local social and political debates, while contextualising the discussion in wider global debates about changing religious affiliation, especially the growth of Islam, the authors present a critical analysis of the persistent images and discourses on Aboriginal religions and spirituality. This book also offers a major contribution to the growing debate on conversion to Islam among Indigenous peoples.
Contents: Introduction; Aboriginal spirituality versus modernity; Post-traditional spirituality and post-Christianity in Australia; Islam in aboriginal Australia; Conversion among indigenous peoples in Australia and New Zealand; The significance of religious identities among aboriginal Australian inmates; The growth of the indigenous religious ‘nones’; Conversion, reversion and de-conversion; Conclusion: continuity through change; Appendix; References; Index.