Hughes/Tyranny, 3, Insiders, Outsiders, and the Path Between

Chapter 3 charts a path to begin speaking about converts in the academic study of religion. Although it is a sensitive subject, we cannot overlook the fact that, through conversion, scholars are able to move from “outsiders” to “insiders” fairly rapidly. Rather than regard these two categories as hermetically sealed, conversion shows them to be porous and, ultimately, as artificial as any other category in the field.