Reassessing assumptions about Chinese Indonesians

Abstract

This article draws attention to the most reliable recent information available based on the most recent Indonesian national censuses. It argues that it is important that writing about Chinese Indonesians should be as accurate as possible at a time when anti-Chinese sentiment seems to be on the increase. The significance of this research is • it points to the likelihood that the Chinese Indonesian population is much smaller than is usually assumed • it addresses questions that have been raised about the reliability of the census findings • it discusses the use of self-identification as a measure of ethnicity • it examines to what extent, on the basis of the census data, the ethnic Chinese are..