Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

11-2016

Abstract

In Indonesia, Chinese voluntary associations took on a new level of importance after the fall of Suharto’s New Order regime in 1998 that ushered in a revival of Chinese identity politics. At the same time, Sino-Indonesian relations are blossoming, and the rise of China as a global power means that Indonesia can only benefit from stronger ties with China in the future. In this new atmosphere of cooperation, I argue that Chinese Indonesian individuals and voluntary organizations play a crucial function as trade and cultural intermediaries. Drawing on both empirical and qualitative fieldwork data, in this paper, I examine how members of Chinese voluntary organizations view their ethnicity, national belonging, and strategic position in the contexts of post-Suharto Chinese identity politics and Sino-Indonesia relations. More broadly, this paper also offers a critical analysis of the internal dynamics of contemporary Overseas Chinese voluntary organizations and the role they play in building trade and sociocultural relationships between China and other countries.

Keywords

Indonesia, China, soft-power, voluntary associations, overseas Chinese

Discipline

Asian Studies | International Relations | Politics and Social Change | Race and Ethnicity

Research Areas

Humanities

Publication

Journal of Contemporary China

Volume

25

Issue

102

First Page

822

Last Page

825

ISSN

1067-0564

Identifier

10.1080/10670564.2016.1184895

Publisher

Taylor & Francis (Routledge): SSH Titles

Copyright Owner and License

Author

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2016.1184895

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