กลยุทธ์การเปลี่ยนศาสนาของมิชชันนารีโปรเตสแตนต์ในหมู่ชาวม้งในเอเชียอาคเนย์: กลยุทธ์การเปลี่ยนศาสนาของมิชชันนารีโปรเตสแตนต์ในหมู่ชาวม้งในเอเชียอาคเนย์

Prasit Leepreecha

Authors

Prasit Leepreecha Department of Social Science and Development, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University

Keywords:

Christianity, Conversion, Strategy, Hmong, Southeast Asia

Abstract

Western Christian missionaries had begun to work with highland peoples since early 1950s, due to their escape from China after the revolution in 1949. Many western missionaries had taken photos while a few had published autobiography, based on their main aim for converting the target populations. One main issue exists in those photos and autobiographies is the conversion strategies of western missionaries among the highland ethnic Hmong in Laos and Thailand. Those include challenge over local spirits, replacing spirit objects with Christian images, medical service, literacy instruction, and operating Christian hostel for students. It is my argument that such strategies symbolize the exercise of more powerful Christianity, as a world religion, over the local Hmong beliefs and bringing western civilization to the primitive tribe. Contents in this article base on the existing publications and photos of western Christian missionaries among the ethnic Hmong in Laos and Thailand, during 1950s-1980s. In addition, I draw information from interviews and long-term observation.

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Conversion Strategy of Protestant Missionary among the Hmong in Southeast Asia