Cultural Conversions

Sharkey examines in this volume some of the unexpected consequences of Christian missionary encounters. In contrast to most studies of missionary encounters (which focus on individual countries, regions, or missions, or only address audiences within certain fields), this collection bridges African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian studies. Moreover, it spans colonial and postcolonial periods while connecting a diverse set of Western missionary players-Catholic and Protestant, as well as British, American, Swedish, Italian, German, French and Irish. Its cases highlight developments in the Maghreb, the Nile Valley, Palestine, Zambia, Eritrea, India, and Sri Lanka. Together the essays compellingly illustrate the diverse societal response to missionary "conversions."