Chan See Shu Yuen: The Cantonese Ancestral Clan in Malaysia as Transnational Social Support Network

Abstract

espanolLas asociaciones de clanes chinas se encuentran en muchas partes del mundo, debido a la emigracion china desde la China continental durante los anos 1800. Este articulo contextualiza el estudio de esas asociaciones desde el enfoque asiatico a la preservacion de la herencia cultural. En particular, se toma el caso de las asociaciones de clanes cantonesas, un grupo dialectal de las chinas cuyas asociaciones de clanes han sido estudiadas menos extensivamente en comparacion con otros dialectos como el hokkien o el hakka. El estudio de caso utilizado es el Chan See Shu Yuen Clan Association Kuala Lumpur & Selangor (CSYY), cuyo fundador era de origen cantones y que ahora opera como un centro cultural ademas de una atraccion turistica en una localizacion estrategica en Kuala Lumpur, la capital de Malasia. El trabajo de campo consistio en una observacion participante que incluyo fotografia, videografia y reuniones de grupos de debate con la junta directiva de la asociacion, asi como un analisis del contenido de documentos como el anuario, folletos o la web de la asociacion. Identificamos la condicion de transnacionalismo esbozada por Vertovec (1997), segun la cual la asociacion ha vivido una evolucion en sus funciones originales y, asi, ha seguido siendo relevante EnglishChinese clan associations can be found in many parts of the world, due to the Chinese emigration from mainland China in the 1800s. This paper contextualises the study of Chinese clan associations within the Asian approach to cultural heritage preservation. In particular, it takes the case of Cantonese clan associations, a dialect group of the Chinese, whose clan associations have been studied less extensively in comparison to other dialects such as Hokkien and Hakka. The case study used is the Chan See Shu Yuen Clan Association Kuala Lumpur & Selangor (CSSY), which was originally set up by a founder of Cantonese origin, and now operates as a cultural centre as well as a tourist attraction in a strategic location in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur. Fieldwork consisted of participant observation which included photography, videography, and focus group discussions with the clan association’s board of trustees; and a content analysis of documents such as its yearbook, brochures, and the association’s website. We identified the condition of transnationalism as outlined by Vertovec (1997), in which the clan association had undergone an evolution of its original functions and therefore remained relevant.