The Chinese of Indonesia and Their Search for Identity: The Relat ...

Samoa), Europe (England, France, Italy, Holland, and Russia), East Asia (Japan and Korea), as well as the Indian Ocean and Africa (India, Madagascar, Mauritius, the Reunion Islands, and South Africa).

The stories on overseas Chinese in this final part of the encyclopedia are exceptionally diverse and show how they lead their lives as a minority group. They still encounter discrimination and prejudice in their work as restaurant owners in Italy and Australia. They also come across many obstacles when they plan to enter the political arena in the United States. However, their determination always pushes them to succeed. In Southeast Asia, Madagascar, and Mauritius, the overseas Chinese are known for their success in the economic sector. Their adaptation skills and ability to see which local commodities may be exported or processed (e.g., cloves, vanilla, and coffee in Madagascar) have also made the overseas Chinese important figures in the industrial developments of the countries where they have settled. Although they often experience difficulties in penetrating the glass wall of the political arena in the United States, Dai Yenchang became the first overseas Chinese to be elected senator in Hawaii. Up to now, the overseas Chinese endeavor not only to survive but also to become respected social, political, and economic figures.

From the previous discussion, it is clear that the overseas Chinese all over the world have definitely experienced their own share of prejudice and harassment. What, then, sets Chinese Indonesians apart from the other overseas Chinese communities?

The Context of Chinese Indonesians

Chinese Indonesians have lived within a complex web of social, political, and historical conditions of Indonesia for generations.