Última modificación: 2020-01-01
Resumen
Clans are made up of kinship-bound families (Yen, 1981) and is a group formed with a patrilineal blood relationship based on a common ancestor at its core (Sun, 2005). In discussing the current existence of clan-based organisations, the academic literature reveals only two main surviving examples, with the first being the Chinese clan association and the second being the Scottish clan association. The Chinese clan association is an organisation whose membership includes individuals with the same surname (Ch’ng; in Mariana Makmur, 2018). Historically, China and the West have been compared in terms of value systems. This paper explores the reasons for the continued existence of Chinese clan associations, using the frameworks of global value systems and cultural capital. The contrast with Scottish clan associations and other similar Western forms of organisations is also noted. The methods used consist of primary observations from a field study among Malaysian Chinese as well as secondary sources. Confucianism and its application to entrepreneurship is theorised to be the reason for the persistence of Chinese clan associations. It is also found that the Chinese clan association has reinvented itself as a heritage tourist attraction.