Christian Minorities in Southeast Asia, 1511-1945

FAIN: FA-53763-08

Barbara Watson Andaya
University of Hawaii (Honolulu, HI 96822-2216)

The historical study of Christianity in Southeast Asia has always focused on the Philippines, but research on the region's Christian minorities is fragmented along ethnic, national and denominational lines. Working diachronically and regionally, this project will examine the processes by which Southeast Asians became active agents in transforming imported teachings into an indigenous faith. Cross-cultural comparisons will highlight regional themes, like the position of women and the interaction between Christian minorities and the majority faiths of Islam and Buddhism, and religious expression in popular practice. Placing Southeast Asian Christianity firmly within world history, it will provide the evolutionary perspective necessary to understand the contemporary religious environment.