Conflict, Politics and Proselytism: Methodist missionaries in colonial and postcolonial Burma, 1887–1966 (Studies in Imperialism, 90)

This book is a study of the ambitions, activities and achievements of Methodist missionaries in northern Burma from 1887-1966 and the expulsion of the last missionaries by Ne Win. The story is told through painstaking original research in archives which contain thousands of hitherto unpublished documents and eyewitness accounts meticulously recorded by the Methodist missionaries. This accessible study constitutes a significant contribution to a very little-known area of missionary history. Leigh pulls together the themes of conflict, politics and proselytisation in to a fascinating study of great breadth. The historical nuances of the relationship between religion and governance in Burma are traced in an accessible style. This book will appeal to those teaching or studying colonial and postcolonial history, Burmese politics, and the history of missionary work. MICHAELD . LEIGH Front matter 1 Dedication 6 Epigraph 7 Contents 8 List of figures 9 List of tables 10 General editor's introduction 11 Acknowledgements 14 Note 15 List of abbreviations 16 Map 17 Introduction 18 Missionaries 37 Politics 57 Social issues 78 Religion 91 Schools 109 Evacuation and exile 127 Japanese occupation 145 National traumas 153 Mission politics 172 Final act 191 Retrospect 206 Glossary 218 Appendix: Methodist missionaries in Upper Burma, 1887–1966 222 Bibliography 225 Index 240 Studies the ambitions, activities, and achievements of Methodist missionaries in Upper Burma. Examines the destabilizing activity of religious conversion, the results of colonial conquest, and the relationship between religion and governance in Burma An exploration of Methodist missionaries working in Upper Burma between 1887 and 1966 -- .