The Chinese Diaspora in South-East Asia: The Overseas Chinese in IndoChina

by Tracy C. Barrett

Overview

As Qing Dynasty China disintegrated, economic hardship and civil disorder led to millions of Chinese men and women seeking their fortunes abroad, many jourbaneying south into French Indochina. These emigres settled into tight-knit communities called huiguan: organisations which closely mirrored the religious, social and economic constitution of their own places of origin. Here, Tracy Barrett sheds light on the overseas Chinese communities in French Indochina and the interactions between them and French colonial authorities. She also addresses the nature, scope and effectiveness of the congregation system - an institution designed by the French to control Indochina's overseas Chinese but eventually extended across the greater French empire as a means of monitoring 'foreign Asiatics'. Including a close analysis of French colonial law and of the economic and social networks between Chinese settler communities across Indonesia, "The Chinese Diaspora in South East Asia" provides an important insight into the characteristics of Chinese migration.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780761343
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/21/2012
Series:	Library of Modern China Studies , #1
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Tracy C. Barrett received her PhD from Cornell University and is Assistant Professor of History at North Dakota State University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements viii

A Note on Transliteration xi

Maps xiii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Chinese Congregations, French Colonial Authorities, and the Indochinese Milieu 11

French Decision to Adopt Congregations 12

Patterns of French Control in Indochina 16

French Strategies for Controlling the Overseas Chinese 24

Conclusion 26

Chapter 2 Chinese Suffrage and Congregational Elections 28

The Issue of Chinese Suffrage 30

The Case of Tonkin 34

Candidacy and the Electoral Process 38

Resignations and Dismissals from Office 40

Contested Elections 42

Chapter 3 Congregational Leadership and the Power of the President 51

The Fundamental Precondition for Chinese Leadership 52

The Roles and Responsibilities of the President 57

The Fall from Grace of Ignace Bou 60

Conclusion 67

Chapter 4 The Bankruptcy of Cholon's Ly Family, 1871-1913 70

Ly Dang Senior Sets the Course 71

Ly Dang Junior Takes the Helm 76

Ly Dang Jr. Ventures into Politics 80

Ly Dang Jr.'s Sinking Fortunes 83

Cholon's Chinese Community Rallies Around Ly Dang 89

Conclusion 91

Chapter 5 Our Brothers' Keepers: Mutual Aid in the Congregations 95

Poverty and Disaster Relief 96

Chinese Hospitals 100

Cemeteries, Burial, and Death 106

Conclusion 113

Chapter 6 Preserving Chinese Culture: Commemorative and Educational Pursuits in the Congregations 115

Cultural Functions 116

Education: The Funding, Establishment, and Operation of Schools 125

The Ecole Pavie 131

The Lycée Franco-Chinois 138

Conclusion 145

Chapter 7 Finding the Middle Ground: Dispute Resolution and Mediation in the Congregations 149

Domestic Political Mediation 150

Commerce and Trade 154

International Political Mediation 158

Conclusion 162

Chapter 8 Control and Contestation: Crime, Policing, and Immigration in the Congregations 164

Criminals, Revolutionaries, and Congregational Responsibility 165

French Influence and Protection of Overseas Chinese 173

Immigration 175

Women and Children 177

Tonkin: Immigration and Surveillance on a Porous Frontier 183

Congregational Responsibility: Vouching for Congregation Members 192

Conclusion 194

Chapter 9 Chinese Cercles 196

Gambling 207

Conclusion 212

Conclusion 214

Notes 221

Bibliography 260

Archives 260

Official Journals 260

References 261

Index 286