Assimilation and Chinese Ethnic Consciousness in Malaysia: An Overview

Yee-Mun Chin

《Malaysian Journal of Chinese Studies》 9卷1期 (2020/11) Pp. 15-22

https://doi.org/10.6993/MJCS.202011_9(1).0002

摘要

The Chinese are the second biggest ethnic group in Malaysia. They have maintained their ethnic consciousness relatively well in the multi-ethnic setting of the country. Many aspects of their Chineseness such as language, tradition and religious beliefs are manifested in everyday life. They have formed and maintained social organisations that are exclusively Chinese. Unlike the Chinese in Thailand and the Philippines who have been assimilated into their respective mainstream societies, the Chinese Malaysians are undergoing a different experience. Despite the localisation of certain aspects of their life, they have largely retained their ethnic identity. This study examines the circumstances behind this phenomenon and identifies two main dimensions of Malaysia's inter-ethnic relationships, namely, ethnic exclusion and socio-religious factors. The first part will present a brief account of inter-ethnic policies and the second will focus on the dimensions of inter-ethnic relations.

關鍵字

Assimilation ； Chinese Malaysian ； ethnic identity ； ethnic consciousness ； ethnic relations