"The Peranakan Chinese of Kelantan explores the formation and the ethnic development of these assimilated Chinese besides addressing their ethnicity/identity and culture. A linguistic analysis of the mother tongue of these unique Chinese with their sociolinguistic history forms a substantial portion of the book. It has detail discussion of the varieties of the language and borrowings of the local Malay dialect, local Thai language and standard or mainstream Hokkien as spoken in the state of Kelantan. It illustrates clearly the communication patterns and discourse organisation of their interaction with the wider society." "This is a comprehensive study of the language and linguistic behaviour of the Kelantan Peranakan Chinese community in Malaysia, a group who has assimilated extensively to the Kelantanese rural Malays, and to some extent to the Kelantan Thai community, culturally as well as linguistically."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The portion of the Malay Peninsula where the Thai Buddhist civilization of Thailand gives way to the Malay Muslim civilization of Malaysia is characterized by multiple forms of pluralism. This book examines a broad range of issues relating to the turmoil afflicting the region.

Peranakan Chinese communities and their “hybrid” culture have fascinated many observers. This book, comprising fourteen chapters, was mainly based on papers written by the author in the last two decades. The chapters address Peranakan Chinese cultural, national and political identities in the Malay Archipelago, i.e., Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore (IMS). This book is divided into two parts. Part I which is on the regional dimension, contains nine chapters that discuss the three countries and beyond. Part II consists of five chapters which focus on one country, i.e., Indonesia. This book not only discusses the past and the present, but also the future of the Peranakan Chinese.

Based on long-term ethnographic study, this is the first comprehensive work on the Chinese popular religion in Malaysia. It analyses temples and communities in historical and contemporary perspective, the diversity of deities and Chinese speech groups, religious specialists and temple services, the communal significance of the Hungry Ghosts Festival, the relationship between religion and philanthropy as seen through the lens of such Chinese religious organization as shantang (benevolent halls) and Dejiao (Moral Uplifting Societies), as well as the development and transformation of Taoist Religion. Highly informative, this concise book contributes to an understanding of Chinese migration and settlement, political economy and religion, religion and identity politics as well the significance of religion to both individuals and communities.

Cina Peranakan merupakan sekumpulan subetnik Cina di negara ini. Mereka memperlihatkan identiti yang amat berbeza daripada orang Cina jati. Identiti mereka terdiri daripada identiti Cina yang diwarisi daripada generasi awal dan identiti yang dipupuk menerusi akulturasi oleh penduduk tempatan. Kebanyakan kajian tentang Cina Peranakan di negara ini tertumpu kepada Cina Peranakan yang menetap di pantai barat Semenanjung Malaysia, terutamanya Baba dan Nyonya dari negeri Melaka dan Pulau Pinang. Padahal, terdapat juga sekumpulan Cina Peranakan yang besar yang menetap di pantai timur Semenanjung Malaysia, terutamanya negeri Kelantan. Malangnya, Cina Peranakan Kelantan tidak banyak dikaji oleh sarjana sedangkan amalan budaya mereka agak berbeza daripada Cina Peranakan yang menetap di pantai barat dan wajar diberikan perhatian yang setimpal. Lagipun, kehidupan sosiobudaya mereka menyumbang kepada pengkayaan sosiobudaya negeri Kelantan. Monograf ini mengkaji Cina Peranakan Kelantan dengan memilih Cina Peranakan Kampung Pasir Parit sebagai satu kajian kes atas dua sebab utama. Pertama, mereka merupakan kumpulan Cina Peranakan yang terbesar di negeri Kelantan. Kedua, mereka tidak diserap oleh masyarakat Cina jati dan masih mengekalkan kebanyakan identiti Peranakan mereka.