The change of religion and its impacts on the Hmong in Thailand

Abstract

This article based on studies of author in Maesa Mai village, Pong Yaeng Subdistrict, Mae Rim district, Chiang Mai province in 1998 and 2003. The Hmong here made conversion to different religions, i.e., Buddhism and Christianity with its sects, which are Seventh-day Adventism, Protestantism (Baptism), and Catholics. Especially, there were cases in which members of the same family converted to two different religions. The research findings discuss in this article will help readers understand about the religious conversion, its nature and effects among Hmong in Thailand as well as the way in which Hmong have responded to impacts of nationalization, modernization, and globalization in Thailand.