Cultural Formation of Identity: Interweaving of Nationality and Ethnicity in Ben Di Chuang Zuo, a Chinese Malaysian Musical Movement

Abstract

This article discusses the cultural formation of identity reflected in a musical movement in Malaysia called Ben Di Chuang Zuo (meaning, ‘locally composed’) among young Malaysian Chinese. Analysis of the lyrics from this movement reveals evidence of an interweaving of ‘Malaysian’ national identity and ‘Chinese’ ethnic identity in these cultural productions. A local genre has been created: the young artists are keen to emphasise both their Malaysian and Chinese identities in their music, and the songs demonstrate that these two are not contradictory or binary but two aspects of the identity of these artists and their large audience. The development of these two identities is to a large extent the result of historical ethnic influences and the political history of Malaysia and official discourse of the Malaysian Government, such as the pro-Malay national cultural policy of the 1970s onwards. The discussion suggests the importance of situating our understanding of identity formation within multiple political, social, historical and cultural contexts, and the importance of cultural production in identity formation. This study has implications for the analysis of cultural identity formation within increasingly dynamic and complex global migration and cultural flows.