Kalimantan’s Ethnic Chinese Youth

This book explores how minoritized languages and identities are impacted by “deglobalization” - marked by increased state control, declining global market power, and growing repression of civil liberties. As nations tighten borders and prioritize unity, many minoritized groups are losing their rights to speak their languages and express their cultural identities. Focusing on Chinese diasporan youth in Indonesia, this book examines how individuals navigate their identities in an environment where speaking Chinese is often seen as a threat. Through analysis of everyday interactions and interviews with young Chinese Indonesians, this book disrupts state-driven narratives that position Chinese language and culture as incompatible with Indonesianness. Instead, it paints a complex picture of contemporary Chineseness and Indonesianness, with some young diasporans aligning with a nationalizing discourse that prioritizes standard Indonesian, others striving to sustain their Chineseness amid these pressures, and many other still navigating pathways in between. By using the Indonesian context to highlight the necessity of a deglobalization paradigm within sociolinguistics, this book offers fresh insights into language and identity in our rapidly changing societies. It is an important read for scholars in linguistics, anthropology, and Asian studies, as well as policymakers, educators, and anyone interested in the intersections of language, identity, and power. More than just an academic study, it serves as a resource for Chinese Indonesians and other diasporan communities seeking to discuss, understand, and reclaim their histories, cultures, and languages in an era of repression.

Jess Kruk is a sociolinguist and lecturer in Linguistics and Indonesian Studies at the University of Western Australia. Her research explores language and identity with a focus on youth in marginalized and peripheral communities.