From Localization To Again

If a religion in its dissemination and expansion aims for successful integration within its target community, it is necessary to complete indigenization (also written as localization). Religion as a significant part of culture, it is bound to collide and interact with other cultures in its communication process. In a certain sense, the degree of indigenization of a foreign religion is an important indicator of the success of its dissemination. As early as the beginning of20th century, since the introduction of Christianity in Nujiang Lisu society, it began its localization and Lisu-ization process. Meanwhile, it is a Christianization process for Lisu people. Since the1980s, under the social historical background of reform and opening-up in China, the development of Christianity in Lisu society presents the trait of re-localization, which chemirizes Christianity culture and traditional Lisu culture in a broader space and more complex content to gain more rapid development for Christianity in Lisu society. Therefore, the indigenization and re-localization history of Christianity in the Nujiang Lisu society can also be seen as the history of its dissemination and development.The integration process of these two heterogeneous cultures, Christian culture and traditional Lisu culture, is the process of elimination and exclusion of heterogeneous factors between the two cultures. Localization is implantation of foreign culture in the beginning and its chimerization in the disseminated areas and peopletransformation and in the end change and reconstruction of the local culture because of the functions of different cultures rather than the relationship between one culture and another one with substituting and being substituting. Throughout the development history of Lisu Christianity, such construction and re-construction of culture run through the whole historical process of Christianity dissemination and development in Lisu society. Being the majority of believers in Nujiang area, Lisu people have always been the creators and participants in the history of the dissemination of Christianity, and the creators of the localization of the Christian culture as well. In the process of accepting and believing in Christianity, they become Christianized Lisu people, while in its indigenization and re-localization, Christianity re-constructed Lisu-ized Christianity culture, however, this Christianity culture is not the original Christianity culture any more. Hence Christianity culture is re-constructed continuously. As times change, during the on-going process of indigenization and re-localization for Christianity culture and local culture, they mutually interact and develop into a mixing state of "you are in me and I am in you".This thesis mainly takes Chi-Hendi village community of Lumadeng town, Fugong County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture as the research object. The study is based on the data of fieldworks and literature, adopting religious studies and anthropology research methods, and using the culture construction theory to examine the development history of Christian and current situation in Chi-Hendi village, as well as the "from indigenization to re-localization" process of Christianity and its characteristics in Lisu community. Moreover, it explores how the culture of Christianity substitutes and re-constructs traditional Lisu culture. Lastly, the thesis discusses different development and presentation from indigenization to re-localization of Christianity in Lisu society and the dynamic causes behind it.