La vérité sur soi-même : les pédagogies de conversion et les nouveaux mouvements religieux catholiques en Amérique latine

Abstract

In this article, I analyze the conversion retreats of the John XXIII Movement in Ipiales, Colombia in order to understand the swift spread of new Catholic groups in Latin America. Based on a qualitative research, I examined through twenty semi-structured interviews the definitions, narratives and meanings that some members and leaders of this movement attribute to their confessions and public testimonies of conversion. Instead of distinguishing John XXIII spiritual retreats and conversion testimonies as forms of domination, I propose the concept of pedagogies of conversion, in other words, a set of practices that seek to morally educate believers and that create a double economy of freedom and constraint. Finally, I drawn on various stories to show how moral agency relates to the intensity of these practices and to the past religious experiences of believers.