Filial piety adalah konsep yang mendasari hubungan kekerabatan dalam institusi kekeluargaan, dan sekaligus satu nilai yang penting dalam kehidupan orang Cina. Pegangan kepada nilai ini tidak tamat di penghujung hayat seseorang individu.... more
Filial piety adalah konsep yang mendasari hubungan kekerabatan dalam institusi kekeluargaan, dan sekaligus satu nilai yang penting dalam kehidupan orang Cina. Pegangan kepada nilai ini tidak tamat di penghujung hayat seseorang individu. Sebaliknya, ia dimanifestasikan melalui ritus-ritus dalam upacara pengebumian dan ulang tahun kematian ahli keluarga. Artikel ini cuba mengupas manifestasi filial piety dalam upacara kematian mengikut amalan adat resam komuniti Cina Peranakan di Kelantan. Walaupun merupakan satu komuniti etnik Cina di Malaysia yang banyak dipengaruhi oleh budaya etnik tempatan, pegangan kepada nilai filial piety didapati tetap dipertahankan terutamanya dalam peristiwa-peristiwa yang signifikan dalam kitaran hidup seperti kematian demi kelangsungan kesejahteraan bersama.
Ras dan etnisiti masih menjadi satu isu yang amat sensitif dalam dunia hari ini, termasuk di Malaysia. Walau bagaimanapun keadaan ini tidak menghalang kumpulan-kumpulan etnik untuk berinteraksi dan seterusnya berasimilasi antara satu sama... more
Ras dan etnisiti masih menjadi satu isu yang amat sensitif dalam dunia hari ini, termasuk di Malaysia. Walau bagaimanapun keadaan ini tidak menghalang kumpulan-kumpulan etnik untuk berinteraksi dan seterusnya berasimilasi antara satu sama lain. Proses asimilasi yang dimangkinkan dengan amalgamasi (perkahwinan campur) seterusnya membawa kepada kemunculan kumpulan etnik minoriti lagi marginal yang mempunyai identiti etnik dan kebudayaan yang memperlihatkan kesinambungan dan pengaruh daripada kumpulan-kumpulan induk tadi. Kumpulan etnik minoriti sebegini dirujuk dengan pelbagai label, termasuklah Peranakan. Namun, sejauh mana Peranakan wujud sebagai satu fenomena sosial, yakni realiti sosial yang empirikal? Tumpuan utama buku ini adalah terhadap kewujudan fenomena Peranakan dalam konteks lapisan-lapisan generasi yang berbeza dalam sebuah komuniti Peranakan iaitu Cina Peranakan Kelantan. Walaupun Cina Peranakan Kelantan merupakan salah satu subkumpulan etnik Cina di negara ini, masih tidak ramai yang menyedari kewujudan dan keunikan komuniti ini. Penulisan dalam media massa dan akademik tentang Cina Peranakan di Malaysia lebih tertumpu kepada komuniti-komuniti Cina Peranakan di pantai barat semenanjung terutamanya komuniti Baba dan Nyonya di Melaka. Walhal, komuniti Cina Peranakan turut terdapat di pantai timur Semenanjung Malaysia khususnya di Kelantan. Malah, ‘kePeranakanan’ Cina Peranakan Kelantan adalah berbeza daripada Cina Peranakan dari tempat-tempat lain di Malaysia. Identiti etnik dan kebudayaan Cina Peranakan Kelantan mirip dengan masyarakat setempat hasil daripada proses asimilasi yang lama dan rapat dengan bukan satu, tetapi dua kumpulan etnik tempatan iaitu Melayu dan Siam Kelantan. Menggunakan Wakaf Bharu sebagai latar kajian kes, buku ini membincangkan kedinamikan dan trajektori identiti etnik dan budaya Cina Peranakan Kelantan mengikut amalan generasi lama dan muda dalam kehidupan seharian.
Perkahwinan campur sering ditampilkan dalam masyarakat pluralistik kontemporari Malaysia sebagai satu isu sosial yang bermasalah dan cenderung menimbulkan konflik antara etnik, khasnya apabila melibatkan faktor agama. Namun, fenomena ini... more
Perkahwinan campur sering ditampilkan dalam masyarakat pluralistik kontemporari Malaysia sebagai satu isu sosial yang bermasalah dan cenderung menimbulkan konflik antara etnik, khasnya apabila melibatkan faktor agama. Namun, fenomena ini sebenarnya bukanlah satu perkara baru, sebaliknya berlaku sejajar dengan pertembungan kontak antara etnik. Ini dibuktikan dengan kewujudan golongan Peranakan yang muncul hasil daripada proses asimilasi yang dimangkinkan oleh amalgamasi sosial (perkahwinan campur) secara turun-temurun antara kumpulan etnik majoriti dengan kumpulan etnik minoriti yang diamalkan secara meluas. Justeru, makalah ini cuba mengupas manifestasi isu perkahwinan campur dalam konteks fenomena Peranakan di Semenanjung Malaysia. Makalah terdiri daripada tiga bahagian utama. Bahagian pertama menyerlahkan kepelbagaian komuniti-komuniti Peranakan yang wujud di Semenanjung Malaysia. Bahagian kedua pula membincangkan faktor-faktor yang dikenal pasti sebagai penggalak kepada amalan perkahwinan campur untuk berlaku secara meluas sehingga membawa kepada kemunculan golongan Peranakan. Seterusnya, bahagian ketiga memfokus kepada penerimaan golongan Peranakan oleh masyarakat. Daripada situ dapat disimpulkan bahawa isu mengenai perkahwinan campur bukanlah disebabkan oleh masalah dalam institusi perkahwinan itu sendiri, sebaliknya berakar-umbi daripada isu pengkategorian masyarakat mengikut garis etnisiti yang terlalu sempit dan superfisial sehingga menidakkan kewujudan interaksi antara etnik yang subur dan dinamik dalam realiti kehidupan sebenar.
Although the status of the national language of Malaysia has been consolidated in the Constitution, the Malay language remains commonly associated with a specific segment of Malaysian society, i.e., the Malays. The language is often seen... more
Although the status of the national language of Malaysia has been consolidated in the Constitution, the Malay language remains commonly associated with a specific segment of Malaysian society, i.e., the Malays. The language is often seen as a distinct marker for Malayness whereas the non-Malay ethnic groups, particularly in Peninsular Malaysia, are not widely associated with the language. The Chinese as the largest minority ethnic group in the Peninsular, are often stereotypically depicted as relatively less fluent or knowledgeable in Malay language, at times not beyond the colloquial ‘bahasa pasar’. Such a scenario suggests that language-wise, Malaysian society remains divided along ethnic lines. This paper seeks to highlight Malay language use among Peranakan Chinese youth in Kelantan. While their higher level of Malay language proficiency vis-à-vis mainstream Chinese is readily acknowledged, findings from content analyses of qualitative data collected in a focus group discussion also suggest that such proficiency in Malay language is achieved due to it being pivotal to the continuity of their identity as both Kelantan Peranakan Chinese and Kelantanese. In short, the Kelantan Peranakan Chinese community is a good example that proficiency in Malay language as national language can exist in tandem with the group’s mother tongue language, and thus should be celebrated and supported towards building a common identity as part of nation-building in Malaysia.
In the issue of organizing social differences according to ethnicity, the plural identity of minority ethnic groups which stem from social amalgamation has been historically seen as an ‘anomaly’ that negatively affects the stability of a... more
In the issue of organizing social differences according to ethnicity, the plural identity of minority ethnic groups which stem from social amalgamation has been historically seen as an ‘anomaly’ that negatively affects the stability of a homogenous society. As many societies in this globalized era increasingly become more pluralized ethnically, the need to find the glue that holds society together towards unity is imperative. This is where Southeast Asia’s ethnic diversity since antiquity may offer a new paradigm in the discourse of social amalgams. The notion of plural identity in today’s contemporary society is explored in this article by examining selected Peranakan communities in Peninsular Malaysia. It is found that while Peranakan identity conveys the spirit of ‘diversity in unity’, the polemic of plural identity becomes an issue when the society especially on the State level does not recognize or is ill-prepared in managing and negotiating their (dis)position in present-day legislation system.
Questions of ethnicity and ethnic identity remain ardent in Malaysian community life. Despite having a high ethnic awareness, not many people recognize or fully understand other ethnic groups, particularly minority ethnic groups. This... more
Questions of ethnicity and ethnic identity remain ardent in Malaysian community life. Despite having a high ethnic awareness, not many people recognize or fully understand other ethnic groups, particularly minority ethnic groups. This article has two purposes, namely to highlight two cases of minority ethnic identity in Malaysia and to examine the effect of social stereotyping on minority ethnic group’s interactions with the Malaysian public. By using Shamsul’s (1996) two social reality approach, a study was conducted on two ethnic minorities, namely the Peranakan Chinese of Kelantan and the Sikh Punjabi of Kuala Lumpur. The study found that the Kelantan Chinese Peranakan and Sikh Punjabi ethnic identities are very different from mainstream stereotypes associated with Chineseness or Indianness; Kelantan Peranakan Chinese identity, for example, is strongly influenced by elements of local culture, and the Sikh Punjabi identity is rooted in Sikh religious elements. Although living in two areas with different ethnic diversity indexes, it was found that both ethnic minority groups shared the mutual problems of mistaken identity and negative ethnonymic connotations. These problems were most often faced during interaction with the mainstream general public when outside of the respective ethnic minority’s immediate locality. These findings show that Malaysian society has only skin-deep awareness and knowledge about ethnic minority groups living within the country. This can be attributed in part to the overemphasis of ‘authority-defined’ perspective that traced back to colonial knowledge on, and methods of, managing ethnic diversity. Over time, this knowledge has become an accepted, pervasive and dominant social fact in the society.
This bibliography presents -- (by author(s) and publication date) -- 1,600 references of interest to anyone studying Thailand’s large, growing, and diverse Muslim Minority.
In Malaysia, religion is one of important ethnic identity markers for some ethnic groups such as Malay, Sikh and Thai. The same, however, might not apply to ethnic Chinese. Instead, they adhere to a variety of religions such as... more
In Malaysia, religion is one of important ethnic identity markers for some ethnic groups such as Malay, Sikh and Thai. The same, however, might not apply to ethnic Chinese. Instead, they adhere to a variety of religions such as Confucianism, Taoism, ancestor worship, local folk belief as well as Christianity. More often than not, they practice more than one abovementioned religions simultaneously under an umbrella label, viz. ‘Chinese religion’. Similar phenomenon may also be found in a highly assimilating Chinese subethnic group such as Peranakan Chinese of Kelantan. Interestingly, this community is unique compared to other communities of Peranakan Chinese as well as mainstream Chinese in terms of their identification with Theravada Buddhism of Thai version as part of their Chinese religion. In this aspect, they share a similarity with the Thai - one of two local ethnic groups that have been significantly influential in assimilation process of Peranakan Chinese of Kelantan. Whilst interethnic relationship between Thai and Peranakan Chinese of Kelantan has been well-studied, relationship between Theravada Buddhism as a religious institution and the Peranakan Chinese is still little known. This paper offers a brief overview of social significance of Theravada Buddhism with focus on institutions of Sangha and temple in everyday life of Peranakan Chinese of Kelantan.
The issue of ‘social organization of difference’ in a society has been an integral part of human life as social being. One way to address the issue is by organizing social differences according to ethnicity. When interplay of majority and... more
The issue of ‘social organization of difference’ in a society has been an integral part of human life as social being. One way to address the issue is by organizing social differences according to ethnicity. When interplay of majority and minority ethnic groups subsequently produces an amalgam, it tend to be referred to in negative manner. However, this is not the case with Peranakan, a concept used in Malay Archipelago to refer to amalgams which consist of local-born of non-indigenous descents and have localized culturally. Instead, it is one of a rare concept that is neutral in nature and embracing differences. Nevertheless, Peranakan is said to be on the verge of extinction. Modernization and the pressing need to re-orient themselves with mainstream ethnic group are seen as main push factors which rendered the 'extinction' of Peranakans inevitable. By analyzing a Peranakan Chinese community in Kelantan, Malaysia as a case study, this paper shows that instead of going 'extinct', Peranakanness has instead moved in different 'trajectories' even within the same community.
In 2005, National Heritage Act was enacted by the Government of Malaysia as an effort to protect and preserve tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the country. Despite its significance and well intentions, the Act remains weak and... more
In 2005, National Heritage Act was enacted by the Government of Malaysia as an effort to protect and preserve tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the country. Despite its significance and well intentions, the Act remains weak and limited in terms of its definition, scope, implementation and awareness. This, in particular, becomes problematic when it comes to intangible cultural heritage (ICH) as it is living and continuously evolving. The increasingly rapid globalisation at the end of the 20th century causes more communities to become susceptible to frequent changes. In addition, Malaysian studies itself is still in the early phase of forming and building the breadth and depth of local knowledge of the country and its society. One particular aspect of concern is knowledge about minority ethnic groups with the potentials to be considered as regional heritage such as the various Peranakan communities in Malaysia. Hence, it is a race against time to have the communities' rich and invaluable culture documented for future preservation and conservation. Against this background, the present article explores theses as a potential viable source of knowledge on a minority ethnic community in Malaysia with a focus on Peranakan Chinese in Kelantan. Selected available theses pertaining to social aspects of the community that were written at bachelor degree levels at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Malaya (UM) from 1970s to 2010s are analysed using content analysis technique. Findings of the study suggests that theses can potentially serve as custodians to the untapped "treasure trove" of Malaysian heritage by preserving arcane information of the community at the grass-root level. Several theses written even go beyond "potentials" after they were polished and published as books, subsequently providing a significant contribution to building and defining what we now know about the community and its heritage.
Keunikan warisan kebudayaan tidak ketara masyarakat multietnik di Malaysia kian terancam oleh modenisasi dan globalisasi yang berlaku dengan lebih pesat berbanding dengan usaha-usaha yang dijalankan untuk melestari dan memperkasakan... more
Keunikan warisan kebudayaan tidak ketara masyarakat multietnik di Malaysia kian terancam oleh modenisasi dan globalisasi yang berlaku dengan lebih pesat berbanding dengan usaha-usaha yang dijalankan untuk melestari dan memperkasakan warisan kebudayaan itu sendiri. Hal ini lebih ketara bila melibatkan komuniti etnik minoriti yang kurang dikenali umum seperti komuniti Cina Peranakan Kelantan. Justeru itu, makalah ini cuba untuk mengupas dan meneliti satu upacara tradisi Cina Peranakan Kelantan yang semakin dilupakan iaitu upacara Koi Hoi. Perbincangan makalah ini adalah kepada sejarah asal-usul, kepercayaan dan amalan upacara tersebut berdasarkan kajian lapangan yang dilakukan di Kampung Pasir Parit di Jajahan Pasir Mas pada tahun 2019. Kajian mendapati upacara Koi Hoi adalah satu upacara tradisi Tao yang diwarisi secara turun-temurun daripada leluhur yang tiba di Tanah Melayu 300 tahun yang lalu. Ia bertitik-tolak daripada sistem kepercayaan tradisi Cina yang berkaitan dengan kewujud...
[BAHASA MALAYSIA] Keunikan warisan kebudayaan tidak ketara masyarakat multietnik di Malaysia kian terancam oleh modenisasi dan globalisasi yang berlaku dengan lebih pesat berbanding dengan usaha-usaha yang dijalankan untuk melestari dan... more
[BAHASA MALAYSIA] Keunikan warisan kebudayaan tidak ketara masyarakat multietnik di Malaysia kian terancam oleh modenisasi dan globalisasi yang berlaku dengan lebih pesat berbanding dengan usaha-usaha yang dijalankan untuk melestari dan memperkasakan warisan kebudayaan itu sendiri. Hal ini lebih ketara bila melibatkan komuniti etnik minoriti yang kurang dikenali umum seperti komuniti Cina Peranakan Kelantan. Justeru itu, makalah ini cuba untuk mengupas dan meneliti satu upacara tradisi Cina Peranakan Kelantan yang semakin dilupakan iaitu upacara Koi Hoi. Perbincangan makalah ini adalah kepada sejarah asal-usul, kepercayaan dan amalan upacara tersebut berdasarkan kajian lapangan yang dilakukan di Kampung Pasir Parit di Jajahan Pasir Mas pada tahun 2019. Kajian mendapati upacara Koi Hoi adalah satu upacara tradisi Tao yang diwarisi secara turun-temurun daripada leluhur yang tiba di Tanah Melayu 300 tahun yang lalu. Ia bertitik-tolak daripada sistem kepercayaan tradisi Cina yang berkaitan dengan kewujudan dan pengaruh kuasa supernatural dalam kehidupan seharian seperti dewa-dewi dan keramat. Upacara Koi Hoi dijalankan sebagai satu usaha beramai-ramai oleh penduduk kampung untuk memohon kepada dewa penjaga kampung perlindungan daripada musibah duniawi mahupun gangguan kuasa ghaib, selain mendapatkan keberkatan demi kesejahteraan seluruh warga kampung. Daripada segi penganjurannya, persiapan dan proses kerja upacara Koi Hoi menerapkan juga elemen-elemen budaya tempatan dan melibatkan partisipasi warga kampung daripada latar etnik berlainan. Justeru itu, melihat kepada kerelevanannya dalam konteks pemupukan perpaduan dalam hubungan antara etnik di Malaysia, maka seharusnya warisan upacara Koi Hoi ini dipelihara dan diiktiraf dengan sewajarnya sebagai warisan kebangsaan di bawah Akta Warisan Kebangsaan 2005.
[ENGLISH] The uniqueness of the intangible cultural heritage of Malaysia’s multiethnic community is now threatened by modernisation and globalisation, which is occurring at a much faster rate compared to the efforts carried out to preserve and strengthen the cultural heritage itself. This matter is even more evident when it involves a lesser-known minority ethnic group, namely the Peranakan Chinese community of Kelantan. Therefore, this article seeks to uncover and examine the Koi Hoi ceremony, a traditional Kelantan Peranakan Chinese ceremony that is on the verge of being forgotten. The article discusses the historical origins, the belief and practices of the Koi Hoi ceremony, based on a field work conducted in Kampung Pasir Parit in Pasir Mas district in 2019. The study found that the Koi Hoi ceremony is a traditional Tao ceremony that has been inherited through the generations from ancestors who arrived in the Malay Peninsula about 300 years ago. It derives from a traditional Chinese belief system that revolves around the existence and influence of supernatural powers such as deities and sacred spirits in daily life. The Koi Hoi ceremony is performed as a collective effort by the villagers to seek protection from the patron deities from worldly and other-worldly troubles, in addition to praying for blessings and prosperity for the entire village. Through its preparation and performance, the Koi Hoi ceremony instills elements of local culture and participation of villagers from various ethnic backgrounds. Therefore, looking at its relevance in the context of fostering unity in intercultural relations among ethnic groups in Malaysia, the Koi Hoi ceremony is a heritage that must be preserved and recognised accordingly as a national heritage under the National Heritage Act 2005.
