Caught between Christianization, assimilation and religious independency

After the abolition of slavery in 1863 in the Dutch colonies, the keyword for the Dutch administration in Suriname for the different colonial subjects living there was assimilation into Surinamese culture based on Dutch values, laws and traditions. When the indentured labourers from British India arrived after 1873, they were initially considered to be temporary migrants. However, after 1895 it became clear that most Hindustani stayed in Suriname. Therefore the assimilation policy of the administration was from then on also imposed on the British Indian indentured labourers. Simultaneously, the Catholic and Protestant missionaries began to organize missions specifically directed at the Hindustani community. However, boh the assimilation policy and the Christian missions were not very successful amongst the Hindustani who largely preserved their religious and cultural traditions, long after their first arrival in Suriname. The question which is answered in this thesis is thus: how was the Hindustani community able to preserve its cultural and religious traditions, despite an active Christian mission and the assimilation policy of the Dutch colonial administration in the period between 1873 and 1975? This question is answered by looking into the Christian missions, and in particular the Catholic, the assimilation policy of the colonial administration and the ruling years of governor J.C. Kielstra, and of course by exploring the reactions of the Hindustani community and the way they dealt with both the assimilation policy and the Christian missions. Also, a comparison is made with the Chinese community in Suriname which did convert to Christianity on a large scale and whose adaptation to Surinamese culture and society was much smoother than that of the Hindustani community.