Wandering and Rootedness: A Study of Contemporary Southeast Asian Chinese Ethnic Relations

Author: Zeng Shaocong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: The Chinese not only develop in their homeland but also thrive and multiply overseas. This book takes the Chinese ethnic groups in Southeast Asia as the research subject, with the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore as the scope of study. From an ethnological perspective, it explores the ethnic relations of contemporary Southeast Asian Chinese. It attempts to break the limitation of studying overseas Chinese solely from the Chinese perspective and examines the Southeast Asian Chinese within the local historical and cultural context. First, it explains the background and conditions of Chinese migration to Southeast Asia. Second, it analyzes the construction of Southeast Asian Chinese ethnic societies. Third, it discusses the internal relationships within the Southeast Asian Chinese ethnic group. Fourth, it explores the relationships between the Southeast Asian Chinese ethnic group and other ethnic groups. Fifth, it elaborates on the identity and transformation of the Southeast Asian Chinese ethnic group. Sixth, it examines the development of the Southeast Asian Chinese ethnic group in the context of globalization. In the conclusion, the author points out that Chinese overseas migration is a model of interaction and elaborates on the typical significance of the Southeast Asian Chinese ethnic group among overseas Chinese. Through the above research, it clarifies that after World War II, the identity of the Southeast Asian Chinese ethnic group underwent fundamental changes, and the nature of the Chinese society shifted from an immigrant society to a settled society. It reveals that the Southeast Asian Chinese ethnic group differs from Chinese in the mainland, as it combines the characteristics of both the host country's ethnic groups and the Chinese. Within the overseas Chinese ethnic group, several communities are mainly divided according to ancestral origin and dialects. Different communities both compete and cooperate. The Chinese ethnic group contributes to the prosperity and development of the local society, economy, and culture. Its interactions with other ethnic groups are primarily harmonious, with occasional conflicts, most of which are triggered by other ethnic groups. The ethnic relations of Southeast Asian Chinese show that conflicts between different ethnic groups are not primarily caused by cultural differences but mainly by political and economic reasons. Only after the cultural differences are politicized and economicized do conflicts occur. In multi-ethnic countries, eliminating racial discrimination and allowing for the coexistence of multiculturalism are important ways to promote harmonious inter-ethnic relations, and they are also mainstream in the development of multi-ethnic countries worldwide. In the process of economic globalization, the ties between the Southeast Asian Chinese ethnic group and China will become closer and will develop in the direction of localization and internationalization.