Ethno-religious Groups and Issues of Religious Socialisation and Ethnic Processes in Vietnam

Abstract

An ethno-religious group is an ethnic group whose members are united by a common religious background. Based on the socialisation theory, the article analyses the socialisation of religion, including primary socialisation, which takes place during a believer’s childhood, and secondary socialisation, which is the next stage for followers to integrate more deeply into their religion, in three ethno-religious groups in Vietnam. Those groups are the Khmer following Theravada Buddhism, the Cham following Islam, and the Hmong following Protestantism. Research shows that in the ethnic process, ethno-religious groups have created their own identities based on religion. This leads to close in-group cohesion and a separation between these groups and others, creating multi-identity statuses of ethnic groups.