Christianity and the Chinese in Indonesia

Chang-Yau Hoon is Professor of Anthropology at the Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalama, Visiting Senior Fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and an Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia. He chairs the Academic Board of the Brunei Research Institute at the College of ASEAN Studies, Guangxi University for Nationalities, China. He specializes in the Chinese diaspora, identity politics, multiculturalism, and religious and cultural diversity in contemporary Southeast Asia. His latest books are: Contesting Chineseness: Ethnicity, Identity, and Nation in China and Southeast Asia (with YK Chan, 2021, Springer); Christianity and the Chinese in Indonesia: Ethnicity, Education and Enterprise (2023, Liverpool University Press); Southeast Asia in China: Historical Entanglements and Contemporary Engagements (with YK Chan, 2023, Lexington Press); and Stability, Growth and Sustainability: Catalysts for Socio-economic Development in Brunei Darussalam (with A. Ananta and M. Hamdan, 2023, ISEAS Publishing).

‘Chinese Indonesian Christians, although not a numerically large community, are a significant and influential group within Indonesia’s rich ethnic and religious mix. Chang-Yau Hoon’s book knowledgeably navigates the complex history and socio-economic positioning of the Chinese Christians within the religious politics of Muslim-dominated Indonesia. At varying times personal, thoughtful and erudite, the essays collectively offer a valuable insight into the lived experiences and social structures of this important group of people.’ Robbie B. H. Goh, Provost, Singapore University of Social Sciences; author of Protestant Christianity in the Indian Diaspora (2018) and Christianity in Southeast Asia (2005)