More than a Cultural Celebration: The Politics of Chinese New Year in Post-Suharto Indonesia
Date
2009
Authors
HOON, Chang-Yau
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Centre for the Study of the Chinese Southern Diaspora, The Australian National University
Access Statement
Open Access
Abstract
In the aftermath of the May 1998 riots that forced President Suharto to step down, ethnic
Chinese received unprecedented freedom to assert their long suppressed cultural and religious
identity. Following the transition from assimilation to multiculturalism, for the first time in over three
decades Chinese culture became more visible and ethnic Chinese could finally enjoy the freedom to
celebrate Chinese New Year (Imlek) publicly. This article focuses on the politics of the re-emergent
Chinese New Year celebration in the Indonesian public sphere. It demonstrates the significance of
Imlek as an ethnic symbol to Chinese-Indonesians. Borrowing Hobsbawm©s concept of ©invented
tradition©, the article critically examines how the festival has been reinvented, represented,
commodified, and consumed by both Chinese and non-Chinese-Indonesians in the cultural, political
and religious contexts of contemporary Indonesia.
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Source
Chinese Southern Diaspora Studies
Type
Journal article
Book Title
Entity type
Publication
Access Statement
Open Access