This sourcebook aims to introduce to English readers the political thinking of the Chinese minority in Indonesia spanning almost a century from 1900-1995. Comprising the writings, speeches, letters, and memoirs of Indonesian Chinese leaders or individuals who have been significant in the development of Chinese minority thinking in Indonesia, translated from Peranakan Malay, Indonesian, Chinese, or Dutch, this volume thus presents the voices of eminent Indonesian Chinese. This updated and expanded edition of the book first published in 1979 includes several new articles of material bringing post-1997 developments up to date, significantly till 1995, the year of the Bali Declaration, when the Chinese tycoons were asked to help solve the Indonesian economic problem.

The existing literature on Chinese Indonesians has so far tended to take an approach of either victimization and marginalization or a focus on elite businessmen and their economic influence. This volume takes a different perspective. The Chinese in Indonesia were not only innocent victims of history, but were simultaneously active agents of change. Chinese Indonesians from different walks of life played an active role in shaping society during regime changes and found creative and constructive ways to deal with situations of adversity. This book demonstrates that regime changes in Indonesia did not only pose threats of violence, but also offered opportunities that induced “agency” on the part of Chinese Indonesians to shape their own destinies and that of the country.

In Censorship in Colonial Indonesia, 1901–1942 Nobuto Yamamoto examines the institutionalization of censorship and its symbiosis with print culture in the Netherlands Indies. Born from the liberal desire to promote the well-being of the colonial population, censorship was not practiced exclusively in repressive ways but manifested in constructive policies and stimuli, among which was the cultivation of the “native press” under state patronage. Censorship in the Indies oscillated between liberal impulse and the intrinsic insecurity of a colonial state in the era of nationalism and democratic governance. It proved unpredictable in terms of outcomes, at times being co-opted by resourceful activists and journalists, and susceptible to international politics as it transformed during the Sino-Japanese war of the 1930s.

Indonesia is the largest country in Southeast Asia where there is a significant number of ethnic Chinese, many of whom have played an important role. This book presents biographical sketches of about 530 prominent Indonesian Chinese, including businessmen, community leaders, politicians, religious leaders, artists, sportsmen/sportswomen, writers, journalists, academics, physicians, educators, and scientists. First published in 1972, it was revised and developed into the present format in 1978, and has since been revised several times. This is the fourth and most up-to-date version.

This collection of essays by and about Wang Gungwu brings together some of Wang's most recent and representative writing about the ethnic Chinese outside China giving the reader a deeper understanding of his views on migration, identity, nationalism and culture, all key issues in modern Asia's transformation. The book collects interviews, speeches and essays that illustrate the development and direction of Wang's scholarship on ethnic and diasporic Chinese.

"This is a bold project recording the lives of a particular group of Southeast Asians. Most of the people whose biographies are included here have settled down in the ten countries that constitute the region. Each of them has either self-identified as Chinese or is comfortable to be known as someone of Chinese ancestry. There are also those who were born in China or elsewhere who came here to work and do business, including seeking help from others who have ethnic Chinese connections. With the political and economic conditions of the region in a great state of flux for the past two centuries, it is impossible to find consistency in the naming process. Confucius had stressed that correct names make for the best relationships. In this case, Professor Leo Suryadinata has been pursuing for decades the elusive goal of finding the right name to give to the large numbers of people who have, in one way or another, made their homes in, or made some difference to, Southeast Asia. I believe that, when he and his colleagues selected the biographies to be included here, they have taken a big step towards the rectification of identities for many leading personalities. In so doing, he has done us all a great service." - Professor Wang Gungwu, National University of Singapore