Title: Pamäť a náboženská afiliácia : o čom nám hovoria spomienky konvertitu?
Source document: Sacra. 2011, vol. 9, iss. 1, pp. 34-53
Extent
34-53
-
ISSN1214-5351 (print)2336-4483 (online)
Stable URL (handle): https://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/118564
Type: Article
Language
License: Not specified license
Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.
Abstract(s)
The paper titled "Memory and religious affiliation: What convert's memories can tell us about religious conversion?" points to retrospective nature of conversion research and common, but tricky practice in conversion studies to reconstruct objective process of religious conversion as happened in a past mainly on the basis of convert's accounts. I'm arguing that this endeavour is doomed to failure especially considering that accuracy is not the strong point of our memory, but one of the many features competing with other more relevant ones. Moreover memory systems in humans have particular social and directive functions aimed to a future and these systems are tuned for life in a group. Simply put memories about religious conversion as well as other memories are not about the past, but about present and future aims, and comprise individual just as collective aspects. To move from solely retrospective way of research is necessary to study religious conversion (especially conversion story-telling practice) as a present social process of affiliation and maintaining one's identity through the acquiring of the particular appropriate life story taking place in a certain situations and contexts. Religious conversion might be taken as a particular schema (or schematic narrative template) that sets up criteria for choosing of relevant memories. Using of this schema might be one of the many means of social affiliation. Sharing of memories or schemas organizing and constructing them, especially very emotional ones may support sense of collective and makes in-group social and emotional bonds stronger.
References
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[32] Richardson, J. 1985. "The Active vs. Passive Convert: Paradigm Conflict in Conversion/Recruitment Research." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 24, 163–179. | DOI 10.2307/1386340
[33] Robbins, T. 1988. Cults, Converts and Charisma: The Sociology of New Religious Movements. London: SAGE Publications.
[34] Robinson, J. A. – Taylor, L. R. 1998. "Autobiographical Memory and Self-narratives: A Tale of Two Stories." In: Thompson, Ch. P. et al. (eds.), Autobiographical Memory: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 125–143.
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[36] Ross, M. – Newby-Clark, I. R. 1998. "Constructing the Past and Future." Social Cognition 16, 133–150. | DOI 10.1521/soco.1998.16.1.133
[37] Schacter, D. L. – Gutchness, A. H. – Kensinger, E. A. 2009. "Specificity of Memory: Implications for Individual and Collective Remembering." In: Boyer, P. – Wertsch, J. (eds.), Memory in Mind and Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press, 83–111.
[38] Snow, D. – Machalek, R. 1983. "The Convert as Social Type." In: Collins, R. (ed.), Sociological Theory. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 259–289. | DOI 10.2307/202053
[39] Snow, D. – Machalek, R. 1984. "The Sociology of Conversion." Annual Review of Sociology 10, 167–190. | DOI 10.1146/annurev.so.10.080184.001123
[40] Souchay, C. – Moulin, C. J. A. 2008. "Memory Dysfunction." In: Cohen, G. – Conway, M. A. (eds.), Memory in the Real World. New York: Psychology Press, 357–379.
[41] Spanos, N. P. 1996. Multiple Identities and False Memories: A Sociocognitive Perspective. Washington: American Psychological Association.
[42] Taves, A. 2009. Religious Experience Reconsidered. A Building-block Approach to the Study of Religion and Other Special Things. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
[43] Tulving, E. 2002. "Episodic Memory: From mind to brain." Annual Review of Psychology 53, 1–25. | DOI 10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135114
[44] Wertsch, J. 2009. "Collective Memory." In: Boyer, P. – Wertsch, J. (eds.), Memory in Mind and Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press, 117–137.
[45] Williams, H. L. – Conway, M. A. – Cohen, G. 2008. "Autobiographical Memory." In: Boyer, P. – Wertsch, J. (eds.), Memory in Mind and Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press, 21–88.
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[47] Wright, D. B. 1993. "Recall of the Hillsbourough Disaster Over Time: Systematic Biases of 'Flashbulb' Memories." Applied Cognitive Psychology 7, 129–138. | DOI 10.1002/acp.2350070205
[48] Wright, D. B. – Loftus, E. F. 2008. "Eyewitness Memory." In: Cohen, G. – Conway, M. A. (eds.), Memory in the Real World. New York: Psychology Press, 91–105.
[2] Beckford, J. 1978. "Accounting for Conversion." British Journal of Sociology 29, 249–262. | DOI 10.2307/589892
[3] Belzen, J. 1999. "Religion as Embodiment: Cultural-psychological Concepts and Methods in the Study of Conversion among 'Bevindelijken'." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 38, 236–253. | DOI 10.2307/1387792
[4] Bernstein, D. M. – Loftus, E. F. 2009. "How to Tell if a Particular Memory Is True or False." Perspectives on Psychological Science 4, 370–374. | DOI 10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.01140.x
[5] Berntsen, D. – Bohn, A. 2009. "Cultural Life Scripts and Individual Life Stories." In: Boyer, P. – Wertsch, J. (eds.), Memory in Mind and Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press, 62–82.
[6] Blatz, C. W. – Ross, M. 2009. "Historical Memories." In: Boyer, P. – Wertsch, J. (eds.), Memory in Mind and Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press, 223–237.
[7] Bluck S. et al. 2005. "A Tale of Three Functions: The Self-reported Uses of Autobiographical Memory." Social Cognition 23, 91–117. | DOI 10.1521/soco.23.1.91.59198
[8] Boyer, P. 2001. Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought. New York: Basic Books.
[9] Boyer, P. 2009. "What Are Memories For? Functions of Recall in Cognition and Culture." In: Boyer, P. – Wertsch, J. (eds.), Memory in Mind and Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press, 3–28.
[10] Brainerd, C. J. – Reyna, V. F. 2002. "Fuzzy-trace Theory and False Memory." Current Directions in Psychological Science 11, 164–169. | DOI 10.1111/1467-8721.00192
[11] Brewer, W. F. 1986. "What is Autobiographical Memory?" In: Rubin, D. C. (ed.), Autobiographical Memory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 25–49.
[12] Bulbulia, J. 2009. "Religiosity as Mental Time-travel. Cognitive Adaptations for Religious Behavior." In: Schloss, J. – Murray, M. J. (eds.), Believing Primate: Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Reflections on the Origin of Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 44–75.
[13] Clancy, S. A. 2005. Abducted: How People Come to Believe They Were Kidnapped by Aliens. Cambridge – London: Harvard University Press.
[14] Conway, M. A. 2005. "Memory and the self." Journal of memory and language 53, 594–628. | DOI 10.1016/j.jml.2005.08.005
[15] Frith, C. 2007. Making Up the Mind: How the Brain Creates Our Mental World. Malden – Oxford – Carlton: Blackwell Publishing.
[16] Hood, R. W. – Hill, P. C. – Spilka, B. 2009. The Psychology of Religion: An Empirical Approach. New York – London: The Guilford Press.
[17] Horton, C. L. – Conway, M. A. – Cohen, G. 2008. "Memory for Thoughts and Dreams." In: Cohen, G. – Conway, M. A. (eds.), Memory in the Real World. New York: Psychology Press, 268–302.
[18] Hyman, I. E. – Loftus, E. F. 1998. "Errors in Autobiographical Memory." Clinical Psychological Review 18, 933–947. | DOI 10.1016/S0272-7358(98)00041-5
[19] Kintsch, W. 1995. "Introduction." In: Bartlett, F. C., Remembering: A Study in Experimental and Social Psychology. Cambridge – New York – Melbourne: Cambridge University Press, xi–xv.
[20] Lambert, A. J. – Scherer, L. N. – Rogers, C. – Jacoby, L. 2009. "How Does Collective Memory Create a Sense of the Collective?" In: Boyer, P.– Wertsch, J. (eds.), Memory in Mind and Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press, 194–217.
[21] Lofland, J. 1977. Doomsday Cult. New York: Irvington Publishers.
[22] Lofland, J. – Stark, R. 1965. "Becoming a World-saver: A Theory of Conversion to a Deviant Perspective." American Sociological Review 30, 862–875. | DOI 10.2307/2090965
[23] Mazzoni, G. – Memon, A. 2003. "Imagination Can Create False Autobiographical Memories." Psychological Science 14, 186–188. | DOI 10.1046/j.1432-1327.2000.01821.x
[24] McAdams, D. 2003. "Identity and the Life Story." In: Fivush, R. – Haden, C. A. (eds.), Autobiographical Memory and the Construction of a Narrative Self: Developmental and Cultural Perspectives. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 187–207.
[25] McNamara, P. 1999. Mind and Variability: Mental Darwinism, Memory, and Self. Westport: Praeger.
[26] Miller, W. R. – C'de Baca, J. 2001. Quantum Change: When Epiphanies and Sudden Insights Transform Ordinary Lifes. New York: The Guilford Press.
[27] Neisser, U. 1989. "Nested Structure in Autobiographical Memory." In: Rubin, D. C. (ed.), Autobiographical Memory, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 71–81.
[28] Nelson, K. 2003. "Narrative and Self, Myth and Memory: Emergence of Cultural Self." In: Fivush, R. – Haden, C. A. (eds.), Autobiographical Memory and the Construction of a Narrative Self: Developmental and Cultural Perspectives. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 3–28.
[29] Poston, L. 1992. Islamic Da'wah in the West: Muslim Missionary Activity and the Dynamics of Conversion to Islam. New York – Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[30] Pyysiäinen, I. 2005. "Religious Conversion and Modes of Religiosity." In: Whitehouse, H. – McCauley, R. N. (eds.), Mind and Religion.Oxford: AltaMira Press, 149–166.
[31] Radvansky, G. 2008. "Situation Models in Memory: Texts and Stories." In: Cohen, G. – Conway, M. A. (eds.), Memory in the Real World. New York: Psychology Press, 229–247.
[32] Richardson, J. 1985. "The Active vs. Passive Convert: Paradigm Conflict in Conversion/Recruitment Research." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 24, 163–179. | DOI 10.2307/1386340
[33] Robbins, T. 1988. Cults, Converts and Charisma: The Sociology of New Religious Movements. London: SAGE Publications.
[34] Robinson, J. A. – Taylor, L. R. 1998. "Autobiographical Memory and Self-narratives: A Tale of Two Stories." In: Thompson, Ch. P. et al. (eds.), Autobiographical Memory: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 125–143.
[35] Roediger, H. L. – Zaromb, F. M. – Butler, A. C. 2009. "The Role of Repeated Retrieval in Shaping Collective Memory." In: Boyer, P. – Wertsch, J. (eds.), Memory in Mind and Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press, 138–170.
[36] Ross, M. – Newby-Clark, I. R. 1998. "Constructing the Past and Future." Social Cognition 16, 133–150. | DOI 10.1521/soco.1998.16.1.133
[37] Schacter, D. L. – Gutchness, A. H. – Kensinger, E. A. 2009. "Specificity of Memory: Implications for Individual and Collective Remembering." In: Boyer, P. – Wertsch, J. (eds.), Memory in Mind and Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press, 83–111.
[38] Snow, D. – Machalek, R. 1983. "The Convert as Social Type." In: Collins, R. (ed.), Sociological Theory. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 259–289. | DOI 10.2307/202053
[39] Snow, D. – Machalek, R. 1984. "The Sociology of Conversion." Annual Review of Sociology 10, 167–190. | DOI 10.1146/annurev.so.10.080184.001123
[40] Souchay, C. – Moulin, C. J. A. 2008. "Memory Dysfunction." In: Cohen, G. – Conway, M. A. (eds.), Memory in the Real World. New York: Psychology Press, 357–379.
[41] Spanos, N. P. 1996. Multiple Identities and False Memories: A Sociocognitive Perspective. Washington: American Psychological Association.
[42] Taves, A. 2009. Religious Experience Reconsidered. A Building-block Approach to the Study of Religion and Other Special Things. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
[43] Tulving, E. 2002. "Episodic Memory: From mind to brain." Annual Review of Psychology 53, 1–25. | DOI 10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135114
[44] Wertsch, J. 2009. "Collective Memory." In: Boyer, P. – Wertsch, J. (eds.), Memory in Mind and Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press, 117–137.
[45] Williams, H. L. – Conway, M. A. – Cohen, G. 2008. "Autobiographical Memory." In: Boyer, P. – Wertsch, J. (eds.), Memory in Mind and Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press, 21–88.
[46] Williams, H. L. – Conway, M. A. 2009. "Networks of Autobiographical Memories." In: Cohen, G. – Conway, M. A. (eds.), Memory in the Real World. New York: Psychology Press 33 – 61.
[47] Wright, D. B. 1993. "Recall of the Hillsbourough Disaster Over Time: Systematic Biases of 'Flashbulb' Memories." Applied Cognitive Psychology 7, 129–138. | DOI 10.1002/acp.2350070205
[48] Wright, D. B. – Loftus, E. F. 2008. "Eyewitness Memory." In: Cohen, G. – Conway, M. A. (eds.), Memory in the Real World. New York: Psychology Press, 91–105.