Karen : AP07
This collection of 10 documents, all in English, covers a variety of cultural, geographical and historical information from the 1820s to 2008. The basic sources to consult are two works by H.I. Marshall, a missionary who lived with the Karen in 1910-1918. The first work focuses on Karen's relations with the Burmese and the British including their acculturation and conversion (1945). The second is largely devoted to mythology and organized ceremonials and includes a good number of photographs (1922). Several documents discuss change and continuity in Karen culture and society especially since the independence of Burma in 1948. Themes covered in these works include dynamics of ethnic identity (Keyes 1979; Kunstadter 1979), post-colonial politics and relations with other ethnic groups (Marlowe 1979), religion and community life (Rajan 2008) and social structure and culture change (Hamilton 1976). While most of the documents discuss the Karen in general, some concentrate on specific communities both in Burma and northern Thailand
Website, English, 2013-
Human Relations Area Files, New Haven, Conn., 2013-