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A symposium to be held at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham, London,June 4th-5th, 2013The topic of religious conversion into and out of Islam as a historicalphenomenon is one that is mired in a sea of debate and misunderstanding.Religious conversion tends to be viewed as the crossing of a line thatcannot be re-crossed.  However, the convert traversed not only religiousdivisions, but in an early modern/Renaissance context, frequently political,cultural and geographic boundaries as well thereby blurring allegiances andidentities.We invite proposals for papers on the following topics – all of which shouldfocus on conversion to or from Islam in the early modern Mediterranean worldbroadly conceived.•Religious conversion and the fabrication of cosmopolitan identities•Conversion as translation between cultures; converts as mediators•Religious conversion and the spread of technical and artisanalskills or the exchange of philosophical, scientific and  theological knowledge•Religious conversion and trading networks•Religious conversion and hybridity; the syncretic devotionalpractices and beliefs of converts•Links between religious conversion and economic (forced orvoluntary) migration and slavery•Acculturation and conversion; religious conversion as a form ofcultural and social "belonging"•Conversion as a literary trope•Conversion rituals and discourses of political legitimization•Religious reversion, the "returning convert", and rituals ofre-inclusion.Proposals should be no longer than 500 words in length and should beaccompanied by a very brief CV (no longer than 1 page). We particularlywelcome proposals from postgraduate students and early career researchers.Limited funds are available for accommodation for the duration of theconference and reimbursement of travel costs; where possible, we encourageparticipants to seek financial support from their home institutions.Deadline for proposals: November 1st, 2012.  Please submit your proposal tothe conference organisers:Claire Norton (nortonc@smuc.ac.uk) and Nur Sobers-Khan(nur.soberskhan@bl.uk)For more information and full conference description, please visit theconference webpage: http://www.smuc.ac.uk/religious-conversion/