DOI: 10.5176/2251-2403_PSSIR18.102
Authors: Budi Annisa Sidi
Abstract:
Present-day Indonesia maintains a narrative of a culturally plural but unified nation. At the same time, multicultural policies extend different degrees of recognition, accommodation, toleration and even discrimination towards different socio-cultural groups. In conjunction with different ethnographic landscapes across regions in Indonesia, this approach leads to a varied experience and understanding of national identity and multiculturalism among people. This situation is examined through the microcosms of university students. A comparison between university students in Banda Aceh and Bandung highlights the influence of one’s surroundings on their perception on multiculturalism. Students in the more heterogenous area of Bandung show more acceptance towards diversity whereas students in Banda Aceh give normative answers on tolerance but have little actual experience in dealing with diversity. Students in both areas claim to have positive feelings and strong sense of attachment to Indonesia but hold different ideas of what constitutes an ideal Indonesian national identity.
Keywords: Indonesia; multiculturalism; nationalism; national identity
Updating...