The Contentious Social Positions of People of Chinese Descent in Indonesia

The prevalence and associated factors for self-harm and suicide ideation among Chinese Indonesians during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…This combination of political tension and social-economic privilege puts the Chinese Indonesians in a position that does not fit with the pattern of minority groups in BAME/BIPOC studies in the Global North who are both disadvantaged racially and economically (Pols & Suci, 2021). Yet, there have been no studies on how these manifestations of structural racism (cultural erasure, social-political discrimination, and tensions) had shaped the mental health outcome of this ethnicity (Pols & Suci, 2021).…”

“…They have been assimilated and hybridized with local ethnic groups (Yulianto et al, 2022) and created distinct ways of being which are different from the other ASEAN Chinese groups (Hoon, 2021;Poston & Zhang, 2021). The forced cultural assimilation policies during New Order Era led to two major changes in the Chinese Indonesian community (Pols & Suci, 2021): first, all media, schools, and public cultural expressions of Chinese Indonesians were suppressed thus cultural transmissions were limited only to family space; second, it also led to massive structural and interpersonal discrimination toward Chinese Indonesians.…”

“…While Chinese cultural elements may be a protective factor for mental health (Pols & Suci, 2021), major philosophical teachings (i.e. Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism) that influenced Chinese culture also had to face significant changes in Indonesia.…”

The Associated Factors of Self-Harm and Suicide Ideation Among Chinese Indonesians During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Empirical evidence from the Global South, including within the context of Southeast Asia, is limited (Daud, 2021), and this warrants further research. While being an ethnic minority is usually associated with social and economic disadvantage, especially in Global North, the Chinese Indonesian – an ethnic minority group in Indonesia – is positioned as socially marginalized yet perceived as having a good economic standing (Pols & Suci, 2021). With such a unique position, there have been few studies on Chinese Indonesian mental health outcomes (Pols & Suci, 2021).…”

“…While being an ethnic minority is usually associated with social and economic disadvantage, especially in Global North, the Chinese Indonesian – an ethnic minority group in Indonesia – is positioned as socially marginalized yet perceived as having a good economic standing (Pols & Suci, 2021). With such a unique position, there have been few studies on Chinese Indonesian mental health outcomes (Pols & Suci, 2021). Accordingly, we respond to this gap by researching Chinese Indonesians, an ethnic minority group in Indonesia that encompasses around 3% of the national population or approximately equal to seven million people (Arifin et al, 2017; Mackie, 2005; Rakhmat, 2021).…”