From Official to Grassroots Racism: Transformation of Anti‐Chinese Sentiment in Indonesia

Abstract

AbstractIndonesia has a long history of racism towards its Chinese population dating back to colonial times. Its population has suffered through discriminatory policies and a series of racist riots, some sponsored by the state. This article examines the transformation of racism towards the Indonesian Chinese by summarising the past, before investigating recent developments. While the Chinese have enjoyed unprecedented political freedom since the fall of the racist New Order regime, they have been witnessing worrying developments, including: continuing racist attitudes of some officials and political elites; a proliferation of Shariah‐inspired bylaws in the regions; and lastly, unresolved grassroots racism. Grassroots racism has become more difficult to tackle as it has intertwined with religious issues, making being anti‐Chinese justifiable. This article suggests that a counter‐narrative from Islamic moderate civil organisations would be needed to redress the religious sentiment in native Chinese relations.