More than any other ethnic minority group, Chinese Indonesians have been the easiest and most frequent target of mass violence. The May 1998 incident was but one of the worst cases in many decades. It is the most recent and most documented case of large-scale anti-Chinese violence. Curiously, it also marks the beginning of a significant change in a long history of such violence.
Heryanto, Ariel (2024), “Racial Discrimination as a Paradox”, Tintin Wulia: Things-in-Common, exhibition catalogue, Hiroshima, 21/09/2024-05/01/2025, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
keywords: Chinese, ethnicity, Indonesian, May 1998, middle class, New Order
Ariel Heryanto 