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INDONESIAN CHINES E I N TORONTO , CANAD A Judith Nagata ABSTRACT Immigrant Chines e i n Canad a displa y som e o f th e sam e pattern s o f adaptation a s di d their cousin s earlie r i n Southeas t Asia , in thei r opennes s to ne w religiou s practice s an d adoptio n o f new occupationa l an d linguisti c skills. T o Canada , however , th e Southeas t Asia n Chines e brin g a doubl e heritage, whil e the y simultaneousl y becom e member s o f a n avowedl y multicultural society , whos e institutions , includin g religious , clai m t o b e universalistic, providin g opportunitie s fo r socia l interactio n acros s ethni c lines. In Canada , o f the 6- 7 thousan d Chines e o f Indonesian an d Malaysia n birth, wel l ove r 6 0 pe r cen t hav e affiliate d t o variou s branche s o f Christianity, fro m Roma n Catholicis m t o evangelica l fundamentalist . Ye t the effectivenes s o f participatio n i n a 'world ' religio n wit h a multi-ethni c membership i n integratin g th e Chines e immigrant s t o th e 'host ' societ y i s limited b y the tendenc y t o form exclusiv e ethni c congregations , eac h usin g their ow n language , an d followin g varian t religiou s practice s peculia r t o their ow n culture . Rarel y d o ther e develo p sustaine d o r meaningfu l socia l ties wit h non-Chines e member s o f th e sam e churche s beyon d th e purel y ritual, eve n whe n sharin g th e sam e buildin g an d facilities . Further , among th e mos t crucia l function s o f these congregation s i s thei r provisio n of social, psychological an d emotiona l suppor t for thei r member s withi n th e familiar ethni c environment , an d a s th e principa l aren a an d referenc e unit i n which personal identity , social status an d leadership pattern s i n th e ethnic communit y ar e established . Socia l statu s i s thu s validate d i n a religious, ofte n 'born-again ' idiom . Religion i s furthe r presse d int o th e servic e o f th e socia l need s o f th e community i n it s reflectio n o f sub-ethni c an d linguisti c distinctions . Thu s the peranakan cluste r togethe r i n exclusivel y Indonesian-speakin g congregations, an d ar e mor e likel y t o associat e acros s sectaria n line s wit h Muslims an d other s i n th e sam e language . Th e totoks, however , gravitat e towards speaker s o f th e sam e Chines e dialec t fro m suc h countrie s a s Malaysia an d Hon g Kong , in separat e churches . Here , languag e override s common plac e o f birth o r ethni c origin . Eve n crossin g o f denominationa l boundaries follow s th e dictate s o f socia l an d persona l preferences . Give n the linguistic , cultural , occupationa l an d religiou s divergenc e from mos t o f 336฀ J. NAGAT A their ancestra l forms , th e questio n a s t o the meanin g o f 'being Chinese ' i n Canada remain s tantalizingl y open . Yet ther e i s incipien t evidenc e o f a re-emergen t Chines e identit y (o r 'resinification') i n th e permissiv e multicultura l environmen t o f Canada , between Chines e o f Southeas t Asia n an d othe r origins . I n this , th e immigrants ar e attemptin g t o achiev e a balanc e b y remakin g a ne w composite identity suitable to the needs of the host society. Finally, from th e standpoin t o f Canadian societ y a t large , it seem s tha t the encapsulate d ethni c congregatio n reflect...

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