Mely G. Tan
Encyclopedia
Mely Tan Giok Lan professionally known as Mely G. Tan, is a Chinese Indonesian
sociologist. Tan obtained her bachelor's degree
from the University of Indonesia
, later receiving a scholarship to study at Cornell University
. After finishing her doctorate at University of California, Berkeley
, Tan returned to Indonesia
and wrote extensively on economics and Chinese Indonesians. She is Roman Catholic.
, English, French, and German, speaking Dutch with her father and Indonesian
with her mother.
Tan studied for her bachelor’s degree at the Department of Sinology
at the University of Indonesia. In her third year, she entered a scientific writing competition that was organized by the Catholic Scientific Circle, winning the competition with her sociological field study. Tan later wrote that that was one of the factors that interested in studying sociology formally; the contemporary focus on Chinese literature
bored her.
When G. William Skinner
arrived in Jakarta to study Chinese Indonesians, Tan was chosen as one of his three apprentices. Using the opportunity to study fieldwork and research methodology
, Tan spent 18 months in the position. Based on her work with him, Skinner chose Tan to receive the Cornell Southeast Asia Training Fellowship. Tan later graduated from the University of Indonesia in 1959.
In January 1959, Tan arrived in Ithaca
, New York, to begin her studies at Cornell University. Despite slight culture shock
, Tan enjoyed her studies. She received her Master of Arts
in sociology
in 1961, with her thesis based on her studies with Skinner. The thesis was later published in 1963 as The Chinese of Sukabumi: A Study in Social and Cultural Accommodation.
After graduation, Tan returned to Jakarta to teach sociology at the Catholic University of Jakarta, later becoming a researcher with the Center for Economic and Social Research of the Indonesian Council of Sciences (ICS, later renamed Indonesian Institute of Sciences) in 1963. The ICS sent her to further her studies at the University of California, Berkeley, in August 1963.
During her studies at Berkeley, Tan participated in sit-ins as part of the Free Speech Movement
, only stopping when warned that she could be deported if arrested. Tan took her oral examination with Wolfram Eberhard
, Herbert Blumer
, Robert Blauner, Neil Smelser
, and Daniel Lev
as her examiners. After passing, Tan began work on her dissertation.
Tan wrote her dissertation under the guidance of Eberhard, Blauner, and Lev, with approval given on 13 June 1968. Tan became the first Indonesian to receive a PhD in sociology from Berkeley as well as the first female Indonesian with a doctorate in sociology. The dissertation, Social Mobility and Assimilation: The Chinese in the United States, was later published in Taiwan in 1971.
In August 1968, Tan returned to Indonesia. Within a few months, she had become head of a subdivision at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences. In the early 1970s, she became involved in discussions for the economic development of Indonesia. In an article in Tempo, Tan argued for development to use local materials, manufacturers, and equipment.
Afterwards, Tan later took numerous jobs as a lecturer. From 1968 to 1997, Tan taught women’s studies at the University of Indonesia. During the same period, she taught at the Jakarta Police Academy. From 1997 – 2001, Tan became the head of the research department at the Catholic University of Jakarta. She currently works as a lecturer on Police Practices at the University of Indonesia.
opened the Mely G. Tan reading room in her honour in 2008.
Chinese Indonesian
Chinese Indonesians, also called the Indonesian Chinese, are an overseas Chinese group whose ancestors emigrated from China to Indonesia, formerly a colony of the Netherlands known as the Dutch East Indies...
sociologist. Tan obtained her bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from the University of Indonesia
University of Indonesia
The Universitas Indonesia, is a state, comprehensive world class university located in Depok, West Java and Salemba, Jakarta, Indonesia. Universitas Indonesia is the oldest tertiary-level educational institution in Indonesia...
, later receiving a scholarship to study at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. After finishing her doctorate at University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, Tan returned to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and wrote extensively on economics and Chinese Indonesians. She is Roman Catholic.
Biography
Tan was born on 11 June 1930 in Jakarta, Indonesia, to a "probably fifth generation" Chinese father and second generation mother; she was the third of five siblings. As a child and teenager, she studied foreign languages, including DutchDutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, English, French, and German, speaking Dutch with her father and Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
with her mother.
Tan studied for her bachelor’s degree at the Department of Sinology
Sinology
Sinology in general use is the study of China and things related to China, but, especially in the American academic context, refers more strictly to the study of classical language and literature, and the philological approach...
at the University of Indonesia. In her third year, she entered a scientific writing competition that was organized by the Catholic Scientific Circle, winning the competition with her sociological field study. Tan later wrote that that was one of the factors that interested in studying sociology formally; the contemporary focus on Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
bored her.
When G. William Skinner
G. William Skinner
George William Skinner was a leading American anthropologist and scholar of China. Skinner was a leading proponent of the spatial approach to Chinese history, as explained in his Presidential Address to the Association for Asian Studies in 1984...
arrived in Jakarta to study Chinese Indonesians, Tan was chosen as one of his three apprentices. Using the opportunity to study fieldwork and research methodology
Methodology
Methodology is generally a guideline for solving a problem, with specificcomponents such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and tools . It can be defined also as follows:...
, Tan spent 18 months in the position. Based on her work with him, Skinner chose Tan to receive the Cornell Southeast Asia Training Fellowship. Tan later graduated from the University of Indonesia in 1959.
In January 1959, Tan arrived in Ithaca
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
, New York, to begin her studies at Cornell University. Despite slight culture shock
Culture shock
Culture shock is the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is emplaced in a new culture.One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign country. Culture shock can be described as consisting of one or more distinct phases...
, Tan enjoyed her studies. She received her Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
in 1961, with her thesis based on her studies with Skinner. The thesis was later published in 1963 as The Chinese of Sukabumi: A Study in Social and Cultural Accommodation.
After graduation, Tan returned to Jakarta to teach sociology at the Catholic University of Jakarta, later becoming a researcher with the Center for Economic and Social Research of the Indonesian Council of Sciences (ICS, later renamed Indonesian Institute of Sciences) in 1963. The ICS sent her to further her studies at the University of California, Berkeley, in August 1963.
During her studies at Berkeley, Tan participated in sit-ins as part of the Free Speech Movement
Free Speech Movement
The Free Speech Movement was a student protest which took place during the 1964–1965 academic year on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley under the informal leadership of students Mario Savio, Brian Turner, Bettina Aptheker, Steve Weissman, Art Goldberg, Jackie Goldberg, and...
, only stopping when warned that she could be deported if arrested. Tan took her oral examination with Wolfram Eberhard
Wolfram Eberhard
Wolfram Eberhard was a professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley focused on Western, Central and Eastern Asian societies.-Biography:...
, Herbert Blumer
Herbert Blumer
Herbert George Blumer was an American sociologist. Continuing the work of George Herbert Mead, he named and developed the topic of symbolic interactionism. According to Blumer himself, his main post-graduate scholarly interests were symbolic interactionism and methodological problems...
, Robert Blauner, Neil Smelser
Neil Smelser
Neil Joseph Smelser is an emeritus professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. He was an active researcher from 1958 to 1994. His research has been on collective behavior....
, and Daniel Lev
Daniel Lev
Daniel Saul Lev was an American political scientist and scholar on Indonesia.Lev was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. In his youth, he participated in the Golden Gloves competitions for amateur boxing...
as her examiners. After passing, Tan began work on her dissertation.
Tan wrote her dissertation under the guidance of Eberhard, Blauner, and Lev, with approval given on 13 June 1968. Tan became the first Indonesian to receive a PhD in sociology from Berkeley as well as the first female Indonesian with a doctorate in sociology. The dissertation, Social Mobility and Assimilation: The Chinese in the United States, was later published in Taiwan in 1971.
In August 1968, Tan returned to Indonesia. Within a few months, she had become head of a subdivision at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences. In the early 1970s, she became involved in discussions for the economic development of Indonesia. In an article in Tempo, Tan argued for development to use local materials, manufacturers, and equipment.
Afterwards, Tan later took numerous jobs as a lecturer. From 1968 to 1997, Tan taught women’s studies at the University of Indonesia. During the same period, she taught at the Jakarta Police Academy. From 1997 – 2001, Tan became the head of the research department at the Catholic University of Jakarta. She currently works as a lecturer on Police Practices at the University of Indonesia.
Recognition
Tan has received six honorary medals from the government of Indonesia. Atma Jaya UniversityAtma Jaya University
Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia is an institute of higher learning in Jakarta, Indonesia, which was founded by Atma Jaya Foundation on June 1, 1960. The main campus is located at Semanggi area, South Jakarta and the another campus located in Pluit, North Jakarta.Atma Jaya is regarded...
opened the Mely G. Tan reading room in her honour in 2008.
List of awards
- 1981: Satyalencana Sistha, for work with the Indonesian NavyIndonesian NavyThe role of the Indonesian Navy is to patrol of Indonesia's immense coastline, to ensure safeguard the territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone , to protect Indonesia's maritime strategic interests, to protect the islands surrounded Indonesia and to defend against seaborne threats. The TNI...
- 1982: Satyalencana Dwidya Sistha, for work with the Indonesian National PoliceIndonesian National PoliceThe Indonesian National Police is the official police force for Indonesia. It had formerly been a part of the Tentara Nasional Indonesia. The police were formally separated from the military in April 1999, a process which was formally completed in July 2000. With 150,000 personnel, the police form...
- 1989: Satyalencana Karya Satya Level II
- 1995: Satyalencana Karya Satya for 30 years of work
- 1995: Bintang Jasa Nararya
- 2000: Bintang Mahaputera Pratama