Islamic Ethnic and the Chinese-Indonesian Spirit of Capitalism: A Chinese-Indonesian Kyai’s Business and Leadership

Authors

Syuan-Yuan Chiou

Abstract

The economic culture in Max Weber’s thesis of Protestant work ethic has been used by scholars to explain the Chinese diaspora’s economic success. The Weberian thesis still inspires the study of how Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity influenced Chinese Indonesian entrepreneurs and their business activities. On the other hand, it appears that little attention has been paid to the ways in which Islamic values have impacted on diasporic Chinese entrepreneurship, or to what extent Chinese-Indonesian Muslims associate their commercial experience with interpretations of Islam. This study will shift from focusing on prominent Chinese Muslim entrepreneurs to focus on how a Chinese gang boss, Anton Medan, converted to Islam before becoming a famous Muslim preacher and eventually built his business and Islamic boarding school for the Muslim grassroots. This paper will employ Max Weber’s thesis of Protestant work ethic to critically analyse this phenomenon.

Recommended Citation

Chiou, Syuan-Yuan (2023) "Islamic Ethnic and the Chinese-Indonesian Spirit of Capitalism: A Chinese-Indonesian Kyai’s Business and Leadership," Malaysian Journal of Chinese Studies: Vol. 12: No. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://mjcs.newera.edu.my/journal/vol12/iss1/3