When setting out on this research project I wanted to focus on how religion impacted a certain time period in history. Through this guideline I landed on the topic of the period of time that Europe began to transition from the native Pagan religions to Christianity. I also wanted to focus on how this transition happened and how it continued to evolve throughout this time period. This project was mainly carried out through extensive research with both primary and secondary sources about different areas of Europe and beyond and how this transition to Christianity was handled. Specifically I wanted to look at what was allowed to cross over from the former Pagan religions. Through this research I was able to conclude that the process of transition was not a fast process, nor was it smooth. These things took time and were not linear, with Church officials back-tracking in several instances. This research also led me to contemplate the power dynamics between the people being converted and those doing the converting, and how these dynamics shifted over time. I think it would be interesting to continue this research into a deeper look at these power structures as well as how this timeline of transition is still happening and shifting in the modern era.
Author(s): Leanna Smith, Comparative Religion
Advisor(s): John-Charles Duffy, Department of Comparative Religion
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