Conclusion

Abstract

The Conclusion returns to the two broader historiographical contexts set out in the Introduction—the process of conversion and the organization of the Anglo-Saxon church—to bring out the contributions of this study. Though it is impossible to address the wide range of anthropological, sociological, historical, and archaeological studies of conversion across time and space, the Conclusion considers the arguments in light of those studies that have been influential in histories of Anglo-Saxon conversion and in light of two significant sociological reviews of conversion. Though the Introduction establishes that this should not be considered a defence or vindication of the ‘minster hypothesis’, the Conclusion highlights those areas where this study has offered new perspectives on the organization of the church in Anglo-Saxon England.