On not speaking Chinese

• Trivia

• Background on Chinese Indonesians

• Group discussion

• Test #1 discussion

Indonesia: Trivia

Which part of the world is Indonesia located?

A. Middle East

B. East Asia

C. South Asia

D. Southeast Asia

Indonesia: Trivia

What is the main religion of Indonesia?

A. Islam

B. Buddhism

C. Hinduism

D. Confucianism

Indonesia: Trivia

Which European country colonized the country for more than 300 years?

A. Great Britain

B. Portugal

C. Netherlands

D. Spain

Indonesia: Trivia

How many islands does Indonesia have?

A. 17,000

B. 1,700

C. 700

D. 170

Indonesia: Trivia

What is the name of the capital city of Indonesia?

A. Singapore

B. Jakarta

C. Brunei Darrusalam

D. Bangkok

Case Study: Chinese Indonesians

• Ethnically diverse: has over 200 ethnicities living in 17,000 islands.

• Chinese minority constitutes 4% of the population.

• Has a stronghold on the economy.• “Entrepreneurial minority”: Dutch positioning

of the Chinese between the Europeans and the “natives”. Chinese were never accepted as “Indonesian”.

Case study: Chinese Indonesians

Assimilation policies from the 60s to the 90s:• Name-changing policies: Lie to Lianto.• No public displays of Chinese cultural

expression: Chinese language, Chinese New Year celebrations, books.

• Chinese books and dirty underwear.• “Special” identity cards for ethic Chinese. • SKBRI: special proof of citizenship.

Case study: Chinese Indonesians

• Most of people born after the 1950s didn’t grow up speaking Chinese.

• Still retain some elements of Chinese culture, but more of a hybrid: peranakan culture.

Case study: Chinese Indonesians

• Not really Indonesian…• “As a minority (Chinese Indonesian) living in

Indonesia, I grew up living my life exclusively mostly with other Chinese Indonesians (and communicating in Indonesian language). Although we lived in a community of Indonesians, I didn’t interact much with other Indonesians…This environment did not help me to mingle with other Indonesians and to learn about Indonesian culture in real life. I learned all of it in school, which mostly remains as a theory and was not as easily practiced in real live. This environment has dampened my understanding of what it means to be Indonesian…”

Case study: Chinese Indonesians

Yet not really Chinese…• When we declare ourselves as Chinese, most

of us (especially the young generations) we don't even know our mother tongue language anymore.  Some of us might still be able to speak some Chinese dialects, but that’s about it.

• Being Chinese Indonesian is like an exodus, never belonging anywhere, always in search of a “home” which we’ll probably never find…

Case study: Chinese Indonesian

• So here’s the confusion: • We’re Chinese, but we don’t speak Chinese.• We’re NOT Indonesian, but we’ve lived in Indonesia

all our lives, we speak Indonesian as our native tongue thanks to the assimilation policy…

• So how we solve the dilemma?

Case study: Chinese Indonesians

We’re still confused but…

• Bridging the language and cultural gap: be more Chinese than the Chinese.

• Hybrid identity: something that embraces both aspects of being Chinese-Indonesian.

Case study: Chinese Indonesians

• Group discussion: reading questions.

• Class discussion to follow.

Case study: Chinese Indonesian

On Thursday:

• May 1998 riots targeting Chinese Indonesians in particular.

• DVD of my cousin’s wedding.