During the colonial and early independence periods, the Chinese community in Batavia/Jakarta was governed by the semi-autonomous Kong Koan (Chinese Council). Its members, known as Chinese officers, regularly convened to discuss civil registration, taxation, religion, finances, health, education, safety, legal matters, and other community concerns.
This volume presents the Council's annotated Malay minutes: unique archival material that provides insights into the daily life of Indonesia’s vibrant Chinese-descended community. While much existing scholarship relies on Dutch sources, this volume offers a perspective from within.
Tom Hoogervorst, Prof. (1984), Royal Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV) and Universitas Negeri Malang, is a senior researcher. He has written several publications on language contact and Sino-Malay publications, including Language Ungoverned(Cornell, 2021).
Monique Erkelens, Ph.D. (1981) is an independent scholar based in Surabaya, Indonesia. She is trained as an early-modern historian focusing on China and Indonesia. She has worked for the Kong Koan Project since 2005 and completed her dissertation on its archival material in 2013.
Preface List of Illustrations
Introduction
The Chinese Council
Historical Importance
Linguistic Characteristics
Minutes of Meetings 1909
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
1910
January
February
March
April
May
August
December
1911
January
February
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
1912
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
1913
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
1914
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
1915
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
1916
January
February
March
April
May
June
August
September
November
December
1917
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
September
October
November
December
1918
January
February
March
April
May
June
August
September
October
1919
January
February
March
May
July
August
October
December
1920
February
March
The book will be of interest to historians of Indonesia and of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. It will be a resource for students, academics, and community members, provided that they can read basic Indonesian. Subject areas include colonial history, legal history, economic history, and cultural history.