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ABSTRACTThe approximately 5 per cent of the diaspora Chinese who are Christian are faced with the question as to whether religious or sectarian affiliation takes priority over Chinese unity or sub‐Chinese identity. For many, the solution is to form (sub)ethnic congregations, and the issue is how far and how fast they (especially younger members) should "assimilate" linguistically and socially to Anglo‐Canadian or other local styles in the host country. One response is the formation of a pan‐Chinese transnational Christian organization, the Chinese Coordination Centre for World Evangelism (CCCOWE), whose mission attempts to unite Chinese of all subethnicities, reach Chinese in remote areas, control and manage existing congregations everywhere, and resist local assimilation. Although claiming to represent all Chinese, in fact, CCCOWE began as a Cantonese‐medium movement in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (hereinafter Hong Kong), but is now coming to terms with Chinese Christians from other parts of Asia, as well as with the inevitable localization/anglicization of congregations. Some churches refuse to associate with CCCOWE for dislike of Hong Kong, others due to preference for their own language (Indonesian), or birth place (Malaysia/Singapore). Thus, in some cases, subethnicity is subordinated to religious (Christian) identity across the world, in others, to a pan‐Chinese religious membership, while for many, religion continues to follow subethnic lines, variously defined by language or birth place.

Nagata reviews MINORITIES, MODERNITY AND THE EMERGING NATION: Christians in Indonesia, A Biographical Approach by Gerry van Klinken.

Nagata reviews 'TRIBAL COMMUNITIES IN THE MALAY WORLD: Historical, Cultural and Social Perspectives' edited by Geoffrey Benjamin and Cynthia Chou.

Once considered exclusively a matter of religion, theology, or scriptural correctness, use of the termfundamentalismhas recently undergone metaphorical expansion into other domains and, depending on whose voice is being heard, may be applied to extreme forms of nationalism, certain socioreligious (especially Islamist) movements, and other forms of extremist ideological expression. An anthropological approach seeks the common elements amid these apparently diverse cases and, taking into account the hermeneutical problems of exegesis by multiple constituencies, proposes that most "fundamentalisms" involve special forms of identity politics, meaning, and labeling, characterized by a quest for certainty, exclusiveness, and unambiguous boundaries, where the "Other" is the enemy demonized. It also reflects a mind‐set uncompromising and antirelativist, as one response to the openness and uncertainties of a cosmopolitan world, and to chart a morally black and white path out of the gray zones of intimidating cultural and religious complexity,[fundamentalism, religion, hermeneutics, Islam]