The leadership role and collective action of Malayan Chinese in the Nanyang Volunteer Mechanics Organization (1937–1945)

Abstract

The study is set against the backdrop of the Japanese blockade of China’s coastal areas in 1937 and the Burma Road becoming the lifeline for transporting wartime materials. It focuses on the transnational nationalist mobilization mechanisms of the Malayan Chinese within the Nanyang Volunteer Mechanics Organization (1937–1945). The research reveals that Malayan Chinese leaders leveraged social capital within colonial interstices to construct a transnational technical collaboration system that circumvented British colonial suppression. By examining the grassroots mobilization and self-organizing nature of technical networks, this study offers a new perspective on overseas Chinese transnational collaboration and identity formation, adding significant historical depth to these discussions.