Description

A key question in Chinese historiography is why capitalism did not develop in China, or at least, why it did not occur before Europe. On the other hand, scholars in Southeast Asia have been asking why the Chinese have been economically dominant in the region. In fact, terminologies such as ‘ersatz’, ‘pariah’, ‘comprador’ or ‘crony’ capitalism have been variously used to describe the workings of Chinese political-economic activities here. These terms basically evolved from observations that these activities differed from those of European (industrial) capitalism. A theory of how Chinese capitalism works in Southeast Asia is still lacking however. Based on historical materials and contemporary observations in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, this talk demonstrates how cultural and religious resources have effected the economic expansion of Chinese people from the seventeenth century to the present, and offers possibilities to theorize Chinese capitalism in Southeast Asia through their social-economic institutions.

Kwee Hui Kian is assistant professor at University of Toronto. Her areas of interest are the processes and theories of colonialism, capitalism, Chinese ethnicity, migration and networks in maritime Southeast Asia from the early modern period to the present. Her publications include various articles on these topics and a book entitled The Political Economy of Java’s Northeast Coast, c. 1740-1800: elite synergy (Leiden: Brill, 2006).