Mapping Chinese Rangoon

de Jayde Lin Roberts, Charles F. Keyes, Vicente Rafael, Laurie J. Sears

"One of Southeast Asia's most significant 'overseas Chinese' communities is that of the Hokkien Chinese--Han originally from Fujian Province--who have resided in Rangoon since the colonial era. This ethnography, the first study in English of the history and place of ethnic Chinese in Burmese society, delineates how they have negotiated the rise of nationalism in both China and Burma and the numerous political and economic challenges that have beset their ancestral and adopted homes. Of central importance to the ability of even fourth- and fifth-generation descendants of Chinese to retain distinctive characteristics, while also acquiring hybrid identities, is the organization of the Chinese quarter in Rangoon around Buddhist temples and associated ritual and educational activities. The Chinese in Rangoon is both an intimate exploration of this community and an illumination of twenty-first-century Burma (Myanmar) during its emergence from decades of isolation imposed by a repressive military regime. As one of the few scholars able to carry out research during this period of transition, Jayde Roberts is able to provide a nuanced view of the Sino-Burmese and the urban environment of Rangoon"--Provided by publisher.