An Oral and Documentary History of Hong Kong Protestant Christians

Christian social participation in Hong Kong is obvious in recent years. The role of Christianity in this area demands serious attention. Its root can be traced back to the colonial period. In previous studies, Christianity was usually considered as a 'tool' of the colonial government. This project suggests that the interactions between religion, politics, and society are more complicated than we supposed. Since the colonial government implemented its localization policy and subsidized social services programs to cope with discontents among Hong Kong Chinese after the 1967 riot, Hong Kong Chinese Christians have become increasingly active in their participation of social and political issues. In order to have a better understanding of the decolonization process of Hong Kong and an understanding of what a good church–state relation might be, it is important for us to study the interrelations and conflicts between Christians' religious, ethnic, and socio-political identities.

This project focuses on studying the dynamics and interactions of religious discourses, identity construction, and social participation of Hong Kong Chinese Protestant Christians from 1970 to 1997. More specifically, it explores the reciprocal relation of religious belief and social identity construction of believers, and the religious-socio-political implications of this relation in a colonial context.