Etta’s confirmation of her categorization as Indonesian, Khek, and Chinese highlights her understanding of these identities as interconnected rather than separate. Though the notion of plural and intersecting identities is nothing new, it does contradict Indonesian state discourses branding Chinese Indonesians as one uniform and ‘exclusive’ group, who are incapable of integrating into the Indonesian nation (Setijadi, 2017). Online disinformation campaigns launched during the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections frequently conflated Chinese Indonesians with China and communism, claiming they posed a threat to Indonesian society and values (Anwar, 2019). For example, one viral Internet hoax claimed that Chinese businessmen were printing counterfeit money to buy electoral votes, while another alleged that Chinese citizens were secretly voting in Indonesian presidential elections, influencing their outcomes in favour of the Chinese state (Bakhshi, 2024). These disinformation campaigns not only misrepresent and essentialize Chinese Indonesians but grow already widespread anti-Chinese prejudice (Setijadi, 2017) and ultimately place ethnic Chinese Indonesian citizens at risk of violence (Yotes & Croucher, 2024). The goal of this book is to fundamentally challenge harmful and reductive descriptions of Chineseness and better represent how Chinese Indonesians understand their identities—as diverse, plural, and intersectional.