Note: The lecture will take place online-only. To attend this lecture virtually, please register here.
This lecture examines the historical formation and contemporary significance of Chinese diasporas in Southeast Asia, focusing on Malaysia and Indonesia. It begins with a brief overview of major migration waves—from early migration and settlement to the colonial-era influx and the more politically constrained movements after independence. The lecture then explores localization processes, analyzing how Chinese communities adapted culturally and socially while negotiating complex relationships with indigenous groups under both colonial rule and Japanese occupation. The discussion then turns to decolonization and nation-building, highlighting how Malaysia and Indonesia sought to integrate a large and economically powerful Chinese minority within emerging national frameworks. These efforts shaped tensions between diasporic (qiao) affiliations, localized identities, and recurring debates over Chineseness and anti-Chineseness. Finally, the lecture addresses contemporary diaspora–China relations, drawing on Wang Gungwu’s insights into the shifting meanings of “Greater China” and the evolving roles of overseas Chinese in an era of China’s rising global influence.
Dr. Danny Wong is Professor of History at the Department of History and former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya. Previously, he was Director of Global Planning & Strategy Centre, Director of the Institute of China Studies, and Head of the Malaysian Chinese Research Centre at the same university.
He is currently President of the International Society for the Study of Chinese Overseas (ISSCO) and Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. His research interests include the Chinese in Malaysia; China’s relations with Southeast Asia; and History of Sabah. He teaches on the History of Southeast Asia and History of China.
His major publications include: The Transformation of an Immigrant Society: A Study of the Chinese of Sabah (Asean Academic Press); One Crowded Moment of Glory: The Kinabalu Guerrillas and the Jesselton Uprising, 1943 (Universiti Malaya Press); Murder Most Foul: The Kalabakan Massacre 1890 (Universiti Malaya Press, 2025).
This public lecture is presented as part of the Winter 2026 Course on Asian Community: Border-Crossing Diasporic Formation, and Social Transformation in the Asian World, in conjunction with the UCLA Asia Pacific Center and made possible through generous support from the Eurasia Foundation (From Asia).