Deconstructing the Diaspora: The Construction of Chinese-Indonesian Identity in Post-Suharto Indonesia. (original) (raw)

Chinese Indonesians Reassessed

The Chinese in Indonesia form a significant minority of about 3 percent of the population, and have played a disproportionately important role in the country. Given that Chinese Indonesians are not seen as indigenous to the country and are consistently defined against Indonesian nationalism, most studies on the community concentrate on examining their ambivalent position as Indonesia's perennial "internal outsider." Chinese Indonesians Reassessed argues for the need to dislodge this narrow nationalistic approach and adopt fresh perspectives which acknowledge the full complexity of ethnic relations within the country. The focus of the book extends beyond Java to explore the historical development of Chinese Indonesian communities in more peripheral areas of Indonesia, such as Medan, the Riau Islands and West Kalimantan. It reveals the diverse religious practices of Chinese Indonesians, which are by no means confined to "Chinese" religions, and the celebration of "Chinese" ethnic events. Presenting a rich array of his torical and contemporary case studies, the book goes beyond national stereotypes to demonstrate how Chinese Indonesians interact with different spaces and environments to establish new Chinese Indonesian identities which are complex and multi-faceted. The book engages with a larger global literature concerned with diasporic Chinese identities and practices and offers sophisticated and empirically grounded insights on the commodification of ethnic cultures and religions.

Chinese Indonesians in a rapidly changing nation: Pressures of ethnicity and identity

Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 2007

Throughout periods of political instability and economic adversity-from Dutch colonial rule, through President Suharto's period in office, to more recent times-ethnic Chinese in Indonesia have been recurrent scapegoats for violence. Suharto, especially, manipulated local perceptions of the Chinese in the economic and political arenas, to suit the needs of his government. Yet, circumstances have changed since the 1998 riots in Indonesia and Suharto's departure. Subsequent presidents have introduced legislation aimed at reducing legal restrictions on Chinese Indonesians and they, in turn, are beginning to have greater public voice through a diversity of outlets. These include the growth of numerous new print and television media; a flourishing literature sphere; the rise of a variety of political parties, both ethnicity-based and more wide-ranging; and the development of non-political organisations, some tackling discrimination and others focusing upon Chinese sociocultural needs. These channels are facilitating the appearance of new and re-emerging ethnic Chinese identities, some surfacing from over 30 years of imposed dormancy. This paper is a preliminary investigation of manifestations of these identities among ethnic Chinese in Indonesia's contemporary public realm.

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University The Eternal Newcomer: Chinese Indonesian Identity from Indonesia to the United States

The construction of identity among the ethnic Chinese populations in Indonesia has been a complicated and incomplete process. The temporal and spatial formulation of identity has allowed for continual change in which marginalization and discrimination have resulted. This paper utilizes Stuart Hall's theory in which identity always multiplies and changes throughout history, determined by a "splitting between groups. From the colonization of Indonesia to modern times, the identity of ethnic Chinese has constantly been changing, while being kept apart from what Benedict Anderson calls the national imagined community. Indonesia's national dictum, "Unity in Diversity," has dismissed the small Chinese ethnicity that comprises about three percent of the population. This exclusion by the majority other and the inclusion formed within their group has allowed for the formation of various identities that have shifted and changed throughout time. This problem of defining "Chineseness," which was compounded during the New Order, currently is experiencing positive and negative changes due to looser government policies regarding the expression of Chinese culture. Current Indonesian state policies aim for multiculturalism, permitting the Chinese to publicly display and engage in Chinese culture, however, simultaneously it essentializes Chinese culture into stereotypes. This paper asserts an anthropological approach toward understanding Chinese identity in Post-Suharto Indonesia. It evaluates the ethnic group's self-identification, as well as the perception of the "natives," to investigate the formation of identity between the two groups. It then analyzes the experience of Chinese Indonesians in Los Angeles to show the transformation of their identity and how the concept of eternal newcomer may also apply outside of Indonesia.

Changes in Chinese-Indonesian Identity: Indonesianization or Re- Sinicization?

AEGIS : Journal of International Relations, 2019

During the Suharto era, which began after the anti-Chinese riots in 1965 as a result of the deterioration of the relation between Indonesia and China, forced policies of assimilation was adopted for curtailing the Chinese culture and to control Chinese-Indonesians. Yet, anti-Chinese sentiments remained, and attacks against them reached its climax in May 1998, when anti-Chinese riots recurred because of the allegation that Chinese-Indonesians had an advantageous economic status, and they were the culprit that brought financial crisis to Indonesia. The May 1998 riot ended Suharto’s era, and Chinese Indonesians saw improvement in their position and condition. Now, they strive to find their own identity and political status. Their efforts to do so were also influence by the rise of China. That is why, this paper aims at examining whether the reintroduction of Chinese cultural celebrations into Chinese-Indonesian community would result in the demise of policies of assimilation. It also e...

Between Hybridity and Identity: Chineseness as a Cultural Resource in Indonesia

Institute of Asian Studies Working Paper Series, 2017

Hybridity is the antithesis to identity. It is a transgressive concept that blurs and traverses the boundaries by which identities are bounded. Between the poles of identity and hybridity lies the multiple positions that depends on how agency and power are exercised. This paper discusses the multidirectionality of the hybridizing process of the Chinese Indonesians, from assimilation during the Suharto’s New Order (1966-1998) to “resinicization” following the democratization process after fall of Suharto. It examines the cultural politics of the Chinese Indonesians in negotiating between hybridity and identity, as well as the underlying power dynamics in such negotiations. For many hybridized Chinese Indonesians who are unable to access the cultural resources in Chinese, learning Mandarin and performing Chineseness appeals more to economic rather than cultural logic. In light of the rise of China, this paper attempts to unpack the deeper embedded cultural and economic meaning to the return to primordial Chineseness among the Chinese in post-Suharto Indonesia.

Unbounded Identities: Some Chinese Voices During the Indonesian Revolution

Economic Prospects, Cultural Encounters and Political Decisions: Reconstructing Scenes In A Moving Asia (East And Southeast). The Work of the 2002/2003 API Fellows., 2005

In this paper, I revisit an illustrative moment in Indonesian history when, in instructive ways, Chineseness defied easy categorisation and standardisation. This historical exploration renders visible the diversity and complexity of social and cultural identities which persists even till the present time, though racialisation of both state and society was intensified under the New Order.

Continuity and Change: The Dynamics of Chineseness in Indonesia

Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 2019

The momentous rise of China as a new global super power has given rise to renewed interest in Chineseness among diasporic Chinese communities. The impact of China's rise has a tremendous influence on the ways in which Chinese culture is being strategically reconstructed in contemporary Indonesia. To many Chinese overseas, Chineseness has become an indispensable social asset capital, cultural resource and ethno-commodity that can benefit them in their commercial dealings with China. The economic incentive that China has to offer has become a major impetus for Chinese Indonesians to resinicize by reconnecting to their Chineseness, learning Mandarin and enthusiastically consuming Chinese cultural products. Through examining the historical trajectory and contemporary dynamics of the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia, this article argues that for the time being, Chineseness is embraced positively among Chinese Indonesians as an economic asset. However, the fate of this community, which has experienced numerous violent traumas in the past, remains uncertain in the future.