Contestation, Negotation and Culture in the Reconstruction of Riau's Identity
Abstract: This paper explained
the issue of inequality which appears in the process of democratization through
the analysis of contestation, negotiation, and the reconstruction of Riau’s
identity. Ideally, democratic principles respect equality; however, identity expresses
inequality because it defines who is dominant and subordinate in a certain
social group through ethnic category and gender identity. It separates the
insiders and outsiders with different rights through cultural idioms. Moreover,
the identity is not merely applied in the private domain, but also in the
public sphere. This paper resulted from research conducted in Riau Province in
a periode of decentralization process. The findings shown that In daily
practice the collective sentiments manifested in the notion of “Putra Daerah”
may create problems, as this notion is not only used as a social category to
define collective boundaries, but also as a strategic tool to control access to
political and economic power in Riau. Quoting Worsley, Cultural traits are not
absolute or simply intellectual categories, but are invoked to provide
identities which legitimize claims to rights.
They are strategies or weapons in competitions over scarce social goods
Worsley (1994).
Author: Lugina Setyawati
Journal Code: jpantropologigg110001
