Sustaining the Hakka Chinese Identity in Sabah: The Role of the Basel Church

Danny Tze Ken Wong ()
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Danny Tze Ken Wong: University of Malaya

Chapter Chapter 9 in Contesting Malaysia’s Integration into the World Economy, 2021, pp 201-217 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Chinese emigration to Malaysia has been attributed mainly to Chinese coming as labourers to work in the various economic sectors, especially in the tin mining industry. Thus, in the discussion on their identity formation, the link to their emigration pattern and economic activities could not be separated. This paper explores the role of a Christian church, namely, the Basel Church in forging Hakka identity in Sabah by tracing the historical ties between the church, through the Basel Missionary Society of Switzerland, and the North Borneo Company, which was the first modern administrative entity that governed the state between 1881 and 1946. The chapter starts with the role of the Basel Mission in the emigration of the Chinese, particularly the Hakka to Sabah, which is then followed by a critical analysis of the means through which the Basel Church contributed to the process of shaping the Hakka identity in Sabah. Finally, the paper discusses the challenges faced by the Basel Church in sustaining its Hakka identity in the face of changes that were taking place within the Hakka community and the Chinese community at large.

Keywords: Hakka identity; Chinese identity; Basel missionary society; Sabah (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-16-0650-2_9

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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-16-0650-2_9

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