The Chinese Émigrés of Thailand in the Twentieth Century By Disa ...

In this book, the terms “overseas Chinese” or “ethnic Chinese” refer to the above description. In addition, “Chinese” in Thailand includes the whole community of both the overseas Chinese and the ethnic Chinese. Third, “Chinese” in China refers to “Chinese” people who lived in China before 1911 (or the ROC [1911–1949] or the PRC [1949–present]). The meaning of “Chinese” depends upon the context of the sentence in the book.

Definition of Assimilation

A clarification of the definition and concept of “assimilation” as applied in this study is essential before the discussion of the central questions, hypothesis, and other main arguments. This is necessary in order to highlight the particular conditions surrounding the assimilation of the Chinese community in Thailand. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “assimilation” is the action of making or becoming like; the state of being like; similarity; resemblance; likeness.¹⁰ Furthermore, the Brainy Dictionary defines “assimilation” as the act or process of assimilating or bringing to a resemblance, likeness, or identity; also, the state of being so assimilated; as, the assimilation of one sound to another.¹¹ Various scholars have proposed different definitions for “assimilation.” At Princeton, anthropologists define assimilation as the state of being assimilated by which people of different backgrounds come to see themselves as part of a larger national family through the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another.¹² Simon, a social scientist, views assimilation as “a process of adjustment and accommodation which occurs between the people of different races and the result is group homogeneity to a greater or lesser degree.”¹³

Henri Bunle pays particular attention to “immigrant assimilation,” which he defines as “a conformity of immigrant behavior with that of native inhabitants.” He points out that immigrants are assimilated only when they speak the language of their new country by preference, have adopted the native customs and their way of life, and their original outlook gives way to that of their new surroundings. Bunle views the assimilation of temporary immigrants as of limited interest to them but is more important for those who leave home permanently with the idea of settling down in a new country.