This study examines how religious identity is negotiated in marriages after religious conversion among the Tamil Indian community in Medan, and how families respond to the new religious identity. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation with four informants who experienced conversion in the context of marriage, and were analysed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The analysis combines the consequences stage of Rambo's conversion theory with Berger and Luckmann's social construction of reality. The findings show that family responses ranged from rejection to acceptance, and that initial rejection was often softened over time through communication and visits. Negotiation took several forms: selective adjustment of habits, sharing religious space within one household, mentoring by the spouse, and drawing boundaries between attending family events and taking part in rituals. These practices show that conversion does not end the formation of religious identity; it opens a continuing social process in which Tamil cultural identity and family ties are maintained while religious identity changes. The study contributes to the sociology of religion by showing how religious identity is externalised, objectified, and internalised in interreligious family life within a minority ethnic community.
Copyrights © 2026