The Villèle Historical Museum would like to pay tribute to Edith Wong Hee Kam, a historian, writer and researcher, whose work has had a profound impact on our understanding of the history of Réunion.
While studying at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, she defended her doctoral thesis in 1994, entitled The Chinese Diaspora in the Mascarene Islands: The Case of Réunion, which was a pioneering work on the history of Chinese communities in the Indian Ocean. At a time when this aspect of Reunion’s population remained largely in the shadows, she had the intellectual courage to place it at the very centre of historical research, thereby paving the way for other researchers to follow in her footsteps.
In her final book, Between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, she built on her seminal work by exploring migration, indentured labour and the long paths trod by Réunion’s Chinese communities, patiently weaving together the threads of a long-fragmented history.
Our institution also wishes to pay tribute to her commitment as a contributor to the Réunion Island Slavery Portal, a scientific resource centre dedicated to the history of the plantation society, slavery and their legacies. Through her articles and documentaries, particularly concerning the Chinese indentured labour system, she successfully bridged the gap between academic rigour and public outreach—a rare and valuable achievement.
Thanks to her robust research work, her constant concern for sharing knowledge and her sincere attachment to the history of her island, Edith Wong Hee Kam leaves a lasting contribution to the collective memory of Réunion.
We have lost a friend and a valued colleague. Through her expertise, her intellectual generosity and her constant devotion to the transmission of knowledge, Edith Wong Hee Kam helped to enrich our understanding of Réunion’s history in all its diversity. Her contribution to the Réunion Slavery Portal will remain a lasting testament to her commitment to the dissemination of knowledge and the promotion of our shared heritage.
Read the article by Édith Wong Hee Kam, published on the Website:
Indentured Chinese workers in Reunion Island
Bibliography:
De Canton à Bourbon : les Chinois de l’île de La Réunion / Édith Wong-Hee-Kam. – Saint-Denis : Ed. CNH, 1993. – 31 p. : ill. ; 21 cm. – (Les Cahiers de notre histoire ; 41)
De Confucius à Qu Yan : humanisme, courage et poésie chez les lettrés chinois / Édith Wong Hee Kam. – Sainte-Marie : Azalées éditions, 2006. – 112 p. : ill. en noir et en coul. ; 24 cm.
Guan Yu – Guan Di : héros régional, culte impérial et populaire / Édith Wong Hee Kam. – Sainte-Marie : Azalées éditions, 2008. – 385 p. : ill. en noir et en coul. ; 25 cm
Le Commerce chinois à l’île de La Réunion : histoire des boutiques / Édith Wong Hee Kam. – Sainte-Clotilde : Orphie, impr. 2025. – 166 p. : ill. en noir et en coul. , couv. ill. en coul. ; 26 cm.
L’engagisme chinois : révoltes contre un nouvel esclavagisme / Édith Wong Hee Kam. – Saint-André : Océan éd., 1999.
– 72 p. ; 22 cm. – (20 désanm)
Pierre le métis (1909-1982) : récit de vie / Édith Wong Hee Kam. – [Sainte-Clotilde (Réunion)] : Éd. Orphie, impr. 2004.
– 141 p. : ill., couv. ill. ; 21 cm. – ( Autour du monde)
L’orchidée de Canton : roman / Édith Wong Hee Kam. – [Saint-Denis (La Réunion)] : Orphie, DL 2017. – 90 p. ; 20 cm.
– ( Collection Différences)
Entre mer de Chine et océan Indien : roman / Édith Wong-Hee-Kam. – Sainte-Clotilde : Orphie, 1999. – 203 p. : couv. ill. ; 21 cm. – (Autour du monde)
J’ai tellement cherché ton ombre : roman / Édith Wong Hee Kam. – [Saint-Denis (La Réunion)] : Orphie, DL 2020.
– 109 p. ; 20 cm. – ( Collection Différences)
