Crises and Conversions

This book explores the phenomenon of conversion to Shi'a Islam in Italy. It thoroughly examines the motivations behind this religious transition and scrutinizes the doctrinal characteristics that Shiism incorporates thanks to the contributions of Italian converts. The text emphasizes the significance of René Guénon’s Traditionalism as a pivotal factor in driving this religious mobility. Additionally, the book delves into the writings of figures such as Julius Evola, who introduced Guénon to Italy, shedding light on Evola’s impact on the youth in the post-World War II era. Furthermore, it evaluates the influence of Henry Corbin on this spiritual journey. To realize this study, between 2018 and 2023, Minoo Mirshahvalad employed multidisciplinary methods that integrated sociology and history.  

“Whether through immigration, birth rate, or conversion, diasporic Shi'ism has become an increasingly important phenomenon in recent decades. Minoo Mirshahvalad’s study is the first comprehensive work on Italian Shi'ism. Focusing on the interplay between the Guénonian Traditionalism and conversion to Shiʿism, Minoo examines Shiʿism in the Italian context and the challenges that Shi'i converts encounter. This is an excellent and ground-breaking work and is an important addition to the literature on diasporic Shi'ism.”

—Prof. Liyakat Takim, Sharjah Chair in Global Islam, McMaster University, Canada

Crises and Conversions: The Unlikely Avenues of "Italian Shiism" is a brilliant study that probes the historical and the sociological trajectories of European intellectual currents' fascination with the imagined "Orient.” Far from the mere adoption of a new religious affiliation, Crises and Conversions views the religious conversion of Traditionalists to Shi'a Islam in Italy with the utopian aspiration to overcome the crisis of modernity. Insightful and well-researched, Minoo Mirshahavalad's book is a remarkable accomplishment, which will measurably shape our understanding of religion and modernity for years to come. 

—Prof. Babak Rahimi, Associate Professor of Communication, Culture and Religion at the University of California, San Diego, USA

“This fascinating book explores corners of the modern Italian far right, with its exaltation of militarism, firm social hierarchies, and esotericism, and the ways in which it ultimately intersected with a small movement toward conversion to Shiite Islam that sees Khomeinist Iran as a fascist utopia. It is essential for a full comprehension of the varieties of contemporary European Islam.”

—Juan Cole, Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History and American Culture and Director, Program in Arab and Muslim American Studies, University of Michigan

Minoo Mirshahvalad is a Subject Expert in Islamic Studies at the University of Pisa. She is also a visiting fellow at the University of Religions and Denominations in Qom (Iran).