The pursuit of history of Thai Peranakan Chinese and their translocal identity in the Malay-Thai peninsula

This research article explores the multifaceted history of ethnic Chinese in Southern Thailand. It argues that their unfolding identities go beyond the national narrative of Thai Chinese overseas or ‘Huayi’ that focuses on linear history and a smooth assimilation of ethnic Chinese into Thai society. Through the investigation of Peranakan Chinese identity among those who speak the Baba dialect, the research reveals an ongoing process of identity formation and language configuration shaped by historical development, transborder interaction, and individual expression. Generational shifts and particular local contexts on the west coast of Southern Thailand further influence Peranakan Chinese’s language use and demonstrate strategic negotiations of identity in everyday life. The article also highlights how Thai Peranakan Chinese construct their identities beyond national borders and are involved in the process of re-Sinicization. However, the commodification of Peranakan culture for tourism promotion leads to intensive visualization and exploitation of selected historical meanings to fulfil a newly constructed identity.