Shifting Choices of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Social Identity in Jakarta

Abstract

Nowadays, Chinese people in Indonesia (known as Tionghoa) tend to abandon traditional medicine inherited from their ancestors and turn to Western medicine. In fact, if viewed from a historical perspective, traditional Chinese herbal medicine and science in Indonesia have existed and been practiced in Indonesian society for centuries. This shift in treatment choices involves various complex factors including the social identity of the Indonesian Chinese community itself. Conventional Western medical practices that are considered modern often clash with alternative Eastern medicine that is considered traditional. However, in the metropolitan city of Jakarta, both types of treatment methods have their own ups and downs, and also have their own advantages and enthusiasts.  This study used the Spradley Domain Analysis method to explore the description of the social situation of the Tionghoa community in the city of Jakarta and to examine the history of traditional Chinese medicine, both herbal remedies and practices, and the shift in public preference for Western medicine in Jakarta. Overall, this study explores the interaction between the two: the relationship between perspectives and changing medical choices regarding which is considered more effective for maintaining health.