A Journey of Ethnicity

Download or read book A Journey of Ethnicity written by Rie Nakamura and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2020-05-05 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Cham people are thought to be descendants of the kingdoms of Champa located in central Vietnam between the 2nd and 19th centuries. Champa was one of the oldest Hinduinized kingdoms in Southeast Asia, and became prosperous through maritime trades and its high quality eaglewood from the central highlands made it famous. However, Champa disappeared from the political map of Southeast Asia after its defeats against the Vietnamese southward expansion. The Cham are now one of the 54 state-recognized national ethnic groups, but Champa’s ancient brick structures and temples scattered along central Vietnam attest to its previous glory. Champa adapted a number of foreign religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam in the course of its history, which made its culture and tradition rich and unique. This book is about a journey of understanding what it means to be Cham in the Social Republic of Vietnam. It is based on field studies in various Cham villages in three different localities: namely, the south central coast area, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta region. It is grounded in information gathered through prolonged interactions with Cham individuals over recent decades. The book stresses the complexity of Cham communities and the diversity and dynamics of the Cham’s understanding of who they are. It provides a comprehensive picture of Cham communities and the situation of ethnic minority people of Vietnam in general.