In Search of Chin Identity: A Study of Religion, Politics, and Ethnic Identity in Burma

This in-depth study of Chin nationalism and Christianity charts the abrupt turn-of-the-20th century transformation of Chinram from independent country ruled by Chin chiefs, following traditional Chin religion, to British colony largely converted by Christian missionaries. As the Chin became increasingly involved in Burmese independence movements, they began to articulate their own Christian traditions of democracy and assert a burgeoning self-awareness of their own national identity. This text explores the role Christianity has played in providing the Chin people with a means for preserving their national identity in the midst of multiracial and multireligious environments.