Ethnic Chinese in the post-reform Indonesia: re-assimilation of Chinese community in seven cities to counteract prejudice

In Indonesia, the ethnic Chinese community has always occupied a dilemmatic position due to being a minority group as opposed to the majority of pribumi (native) Indonesians. Though the concepts of assimilation and integration have been proposed to understand and reconcile issues related to Chinese-Indonesian identity, role, and legal position, the two concepts have not provided a successful alternative for both the state and the people. This work focuses on the dynamics of ethnic Chinese interactions with non-Chinese groups in seven cities in Indonesia, from 2013 to 2023. It argues that the re-assimilation of ethnic Chinese in a post-reform Indonesia had been influenced by two modes of incorporation: state policies and the values and prejudices of the receiving society. The ethnic Chinese communities in the seven cities being studied in this research willingly and consciously integrate with the majority of non-Chinese groups in many daily activities, social activities, and political activism.