PHYSICIANS OF HARMONY: AN EXAMINATION OF “TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE” AS AN INSTITUTION IN INDONESIA AND INDONESIAN SOCIETY

Abstract

The Chinese in Indonesia have been portrayed as acculturalised, possessing a lack of agency and having experienced a loss of heritage. However, a different picture is revealed when we look at the Chinese community from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Yogyakarta. The TCM perspective shows that the Chinese community has been able to retain much of its cultural heritage and especially its medical practices and knowledge. This is through the potential for sinshes in TCM shops to function as cultural brokers for the Indonesian Chinese community in Yogyakarta. They are also able to gain considerable agency at the state level due to the continued trade of TCM which is one of the main alternatives to the public healthcare system of Indonesia.