Transformation And Development Of The Contemporary Chinese Clan Association In Southeast Asia

As one of the three pillars of Chinese community, Singapore Chinese clan association played an important role in the development of Singaporean Chinese society. It took partial government responsibilities in the period of semi-autonomous colonial era, which was not only the basic structure of local Chinese community, but also one of most important vehicles for the spread and development of Chinese culture in the Southeast Asia. Besides, it supplied cultural resource and adaptation mechanism for Chinese immigrates in the social artery which was different from the migrant's ancestral homes in China. After World War II, especially from the independence of Singapore in 1965, Singapore Chinese clan association constantly adjusted its recognition shape, structure and operation when facing challenges of new times. Meanwhile, it continued to develop and promote the recognition of Chinese culture in Singapore. The dissertation begins with Chinese community in Singapore after World War II, using Chinese-language newspapers in Singapore, the special issues of Chinese Associations, as well as oral interviews and other first-hand resources, And studies the evolution of Singapore federation of Chinese clan association (SFCCA) which was founded in 1986, specifically discusses the functions and transformation of Chinese clan association in the contemporary Singapore, heritage and development of Chinese culture, relationship between Chinese clan association and government, as well as the constraints and difficulties in organization form, contents and other aspects. The studies in this dissertation have shown that: on one hand, the SFCCA, which is not only the result of Singapore government' adaptation to Asia-Pacific region, especially to the rise of China, but also the product of multi-culture policy of Singapore, and provides a new organization and operating mechanism for further integration of Chinese community, especially the traditional clan association in contemporary society. On the other hand, the 20 years' development of SFCCA also shows that contemporary development of Chinese community in Southeast Asia countries has a tight connection with their governments' policies as well. Due to the different national conditions in Southeast Asian countries, the policies to Chinese are different. This makes the path of Chinese society multivariate in Southeast Asia. In this sense, SFCCA provides a valuable case for us, from which we can learn how the words of a country promote the contemporary Chinese community and the heritage of Chinese culture in Southeast Asia.