Silence, absence, loss : Chineseness in post-authoritarian Indonesia

![CDATA[After decades of complex marginalization, discrimination, and racism, Chinese- Indonesians in post-1998 Indonesia have been given back the democratic space to participate culturally and politically in Indonesian public life. The fall of the authoritar- ian regime of President Suharto, which lasted for thirty-two years, brought along a number of significant changes for the Chinese-Indonesian minority. Bans geared against the socio-political and cultural participation of Chinese-Indonesians in public life were lifted and various citizenship rights were restored. Manifested in the increase of Chinese temples, Chinese films on national television, a growing Chinese literary output, and the celebration of Chinese New Year, a resurgence of public "Chineseness" seemed to have taken place.]]