ABSTRACT
For a very long time now, Christianity has been spreading among China’s so-called ‘minority nationalities’. In southwestern China, for example, large numbers of Lisu, Nu, and Miao have been converted since the late nineteenth century and Christianity has become part of the ‘traditional’ religion of these ethnic minorities. Christian missionaries have historically also played an important role in the process of ethno-genesis in China, such as the creation of written scripts for certain communities. Mackerras (2003) has argued that it is necessary to examine the various ways ethnic minorities in China are historically related to processes of globalization in order to understand important issues such as their self-identification, interactions with other groups, and relations with the state. For example, the arrival of a religion such as Christianity among the ethnic minorities can be seen as part of a global expansion of ties that has profoundly shaped local cultures and societal relations within China. The primary purpose of this chapter is to examine how an attention to Christianity’s indigenization in the minority regions can further help us understand the complex ways by which ethnic identity is practiced and negotiated. I argue that the arrival of Christianity among certain ethnic minorities not only stimulated their ethnic consciousness, but in some cases has contributed to the formation of religio-ethnicities – groups whose members practice a common religion, and encompass a number different officially recognized ethnic minorities. Such groups manifest many key elements that would qualify them as ethnicities.
