Migration in the time of revolution : China, Indonesia, and the Cold War

A Foreign Affairs "Best Books of 2020" Honorable mention for the Harry J. Benda Prize (Southeast Asia Council, Association for Asian Studies) The book is a delightful read and will be of great interest to scholars of Chinese migration, PRC history, Indonesian history, and the history of the international communist movement. ―South East Asia Research Migration in the Time of Revolution examines how two of the world's most populous countries interacted between 1945 and 1967, when the concept of citizenship was contested, political loyalty was in question, identity was fluid, and the boundaries of political mobilization were blurred. Taomo Zhou asks probing questions of this important period in the histories of the People's Republic of China and Indonesia. What was it like to be a youth in search of an ancestral homeland that one had never set foot in, or an economic refugee whose expertise in private business became undesirable in one's new home in the socialist state? What ideological beliefs or practical calculations motivated individuals to commit to one particular nationality while forsaking another? As Zhou demonstrates, the answers to such questions about "ordinary" migrants are crucial to a deeper understanding of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Through newly declassified documents from the Chinese Foreign Ministry Archives and oral history interviews, Migration in the Time of Revolution argues that migration and the political activism of the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia were important historical forces in the making of governmental relations between Beijing and Jakarta after World War II. Zhou highlights the agency and autonomy of individuals whose life experiences were shaped by but also helped shape the trajectory of bilateral diplomacy. These ethnic Chinese migrants and settlers were, Zhou contends, not passively acted upon but actively responding to the developing events of the Cold War. This book bridges the fields of diplomatic history and migration studies by reconstructing the Cold War in Asia as social processes from the ground up. Contents Acknowledgments Abbreviations A Note on Language Introduction Revolutionary Diplomacy and Diasporic Politics Who Are the Chinese in This Book? Intercommunal Conflict and Intracommunal Bifurcation When the Communal Clashes with the International Bridging Diplomacy and Migration Sources and Methodology Structure of the Book Chapter 1 The Chinese Nationalist Party and the Overseas Chinese Chinese in Indonesia in the Early Twentieth Century The Chinese Nationalist Party’s Policy toward theOverseas Chinese The Chinese Nationalist Government’s Attitude toward theIndonesian National Revolution Pao An Tui and the Escalation of Ethnic Conflict Shifting Public Opinion among the Overseas Chinese Chapter 2 The Chinese Communist Party and the Overseas Chinese The Chinese Communist Party’s Policy towardOverseas Chinese The CCP and Political Mobilization of the Chineseduring the Japanese Occupation The CCP and Political Mobilization of the Chinese duringthe Indonesian National Revolution Chapter 3 The Diplomatic Battle between the Two Chinas Backdoor Diplomacy: Taipei Reconnecting with Jakarta Detachment from Diasporic Politics: Beijing MakesPolicy Adjustments Deeper into Diasporic Politics: Taipei’s Response The Bandung Conference: Beijing’s Peace Offensive Regional Rebellions: Taipei’s Intervention Angers Jakarta Chapter 4 The Communal Battle between the Red and the Blue The Conundrum of Citizenship Communism as a Business Model Media Warfare Embattled Civic Associations Contentious Campuses Chapter 5 Pribumi Perceptions of the “Chinese Problem” A Silent War: Indonesian Surveillance of Chinese CulturalActivities and Education Watching Over a Volcano: Indonesian Control of theChinese on the Frontiers Pribumi Perceptions of Chinese Labor andPeasant Organizations Pribumi Perceptions of Chinese Tradersand Business Owners Chapter 6 The 1959–1960 Anti-Chinese Crisis Beijing’s Strategic Considerations Beijing’s Understanding of the Anti-Chinese Crisis:Three Sources of Tension PRC Diplomacy during the Anti-Chinese Crisis Repatriation and De-Escalation Chapter 7 The Ambivalent Alliance between Beijing and Jakarta Converging Strategic Interests in Konfrontasi The Undercurrents of the Chinese Problem The Second Afro-Asian Conference and CONEFO Chapter 8 China and the September Thirtieth Movement The PKI, Sukarno, and China Chinese Military Aid Beijing’s Knowledge of the Movement The Aftermath Chapter 9 Beijing, Taipei, and the Emerging Suharto Regime The Breach of Beijing-Jakarta Relations and theBeginning of the Cultural Revolution Taiwan’s Diplomatic Maneuvering after the“October First Coup” Beijing’s and Taipei’s Response to Anti-Chinese Violence Chapter 10 The Overseas Chinese “Returning” to the People’s Republic Little Americas and the Economic Cold War Positioning the Overseas Chinese in the Socialist System Resettlement of New Migrants Conclusion “The Motherland Is a Distant Dream” Notes Introduction 1. The Chinese Nationalist Party and the Overseas Chinese 2. The Chinese Communist Party and the Overseas Chinese 3. The Diplomatic Battle between the Two Chinas 4. The Communal Battle between the Red and the Blue 5. Pribumi Perceptions of the “Chinese Problem” 6. The 1959–1960 Anti-Chinese Crisis 7. The Ambivalent Alliance between Beijing and Jakarta 8. China and the September Thirtieth Movement 9. Beijing, Taipei, and the Emerging Suharto Regime 10. The Overseas Chinese “Returning” to the People’s Republic Conclusion Glossary Bibliography Archives Online Primary Sources Published Primary Sources Periodicals Oral History Interviews Secondary Sources Index

Migration in the Time of Revolution examines how two of the world's most populous countries interacted between 1945 and 1967, when the concept of citizenship was contested, political loyalty was in question, identity was fluid, and the boundaries of political mobilization were blurred. Taomo Zhou asks probing questions of this important period in the histories of the People's Republic of China and Indonesia. What was it like to be a youth in search of an ancestral homeland that one had never set foot in, or an economic refugee whose expertise in private business became undesirable in one's new home in the socialist state? What ideological beliefs or practical calculations motivated individuals to commit to one particular nationality while forsaking another?

As Zhou demonstrates, the answers to such questions about "ordinary" migrants are crucial to a deeper understanding of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Through newly declassified documents from the Chinese Foreign Ministry Archives and oral history interviews, Migration in the Time of Revolution argues that migration and the political activism of the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia were important historical forces in the making of governmental relations between Beijing and Jakarta after World War II. Zhou highlights the agency and autonomy of individuals whose life experiences were shaped by but also helped shape the trajectory of bilateral diplomacy. These ethnic Chinese migrants and settlers were, Zhou contends, not passively acted upon but actively responding to the developing events of the Cold War. This book bridges the fields of diplomatic history and migration studies by reconstructing the Cold War in Asia as social processes from the ground up.

Honorable mention for the Harry J. Benda Prize (Southeast Asia Council, Association for Asian Studies)
A Foreign Affairs "Best Books of 2020"

Migration in the Time of Revolution examines how two of the world's most populous countries interacted between 1945 and 1967, when the concept of citizenship was contested, political loyalty was in question, identity was fluid, and the boundaries of political mobilization were blurred. Taomo Zhou asks probing questions of this important period in the histories of the People's Republic of China and Indonesia. What was it like to be a youth in search of an ancestral homeland that one had never set foot in, or an economic refugee whose expertise in private business became undesirable in one's new home in the socialist state? What ideological beliefs or practical calculations motivated individuals to commit to one particular nationality while forsaking another? As Zhou demonstrates, the answers to such questions about "ordinary" migrants are crucial to a deeper understanding of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Through newly declassified documents from the Chinese Foreign Ministry Archives and oral history interviews, Migration in the Time of Revolution argues that migration and the political activism of the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia were important historical forces in the making of governmental relations between Beijing and Jakarta after World War II. Zhou highlights the agency and autonomy of individuals whose life experiences were shaped by but also helped shape the trajectory of bilateral diplomacy. These ethnic Chinese migrants and settlers were, Zhou contends, not passively acted upon but actively responding to the developing events of the Cold War. This book bridges the fields of diplomatic history and migration studies by reconstructing the Cold War in Asia as social processes from the ground up. Honorable mention for the Harry J. Benda Prize (Southeast Asia Council, Association for Asian Studies)A Foreign Affairs "Best Books of 2020" This text examines how two of the world's most populous countries interacted between 1945 and 1967, when the concept of citizenship was contested, political loyalty was in question, identity was fluid, and the boundaries of political mobilization were blurred. The work asks probing questions of this important period in the histories of the People's Republic of China and Indonesia "Argues that migration and the political activism of Chinese living abroad were important forces in the making of the diplomatic relations between China and Indonesia during the Cold War"-- Provided by publisher