Hakka Consciousness in Malaysia: The Perpetuance and the Decline
Abstract
Most Chinese in Malaysia are descendants of Chinese immigrants who fled China in the 19th century in search of a better livelihood. When they arrived, the brought with them their identity that to a certain extent affected how they lived. Hakka is one of the sub-ethnic identities brought by them. In the beginning, the identity played important roles – as an identity marker that eventually enabled the Hakka to act as a collective group. However, the identity is on the decline. This paper attempts to elaborate the factors that enabled the identity to perpetuate and also the reasons that are causing it to decline. Past literatures related to the study of the Hakka community in Malaysia were reviewed. Based on the reviews, it is discovered that identity, just like any other cultural items will diminish if the community that adopts it see it as no longer relevant if it does serve the community needs while the community interacts with its social world.
