Why did so many rulers throughout history risk converting to a new religion brought by outsiders? In his award-winning Unearthly Powers (2019), Alan Strathern set out a theoretical framework for understanding the relation between religion and political authority based on a distinction between two kinds of religion - immanentism and transcendentalism - and the different ways they made monarchy sacred. This ambitious and innovative companion volume tests and substantiates this approach using case studies from Kongo (1480–1530), Japan (1560–1614), Ayutthaya (Thailand, 1660–1690) and Hawaii (1800–1830). Through in-depth analysis of key turning points in the careers of warlords, chiefs and kings, a tapestry of unique characters and stories is brought to light. However, these examples ultimately demonstrate that global patterns of conversion can be established to illuminate the religious geography of the world today.
Alan Strathern works on the global history of religious change and its relationship with politics, particularly in the early modern period. He first specialised in Sri Lankan history, in his first monograph, Kingship and Conversion in Sixteenth Century Sri Lanka (2007), and has written articles on such themes as origin myths, source criticism, sacred kingship, and ethnic identity.
He teaches European and Global History as a Fellow at Brasenose College, and lecturers at St John's College.
