INDONESIA: FROM PLURALISM TO MULTICULTURALISM
ABSTRACT: Indonesia was not a
new entity when started to become national country. It was called a continuation
of the history of the Dutch East Indies. The people lived under western
colonial was a pluralistic society, people separated by social class, ethnicity,
religion, race and inter-group. Be-tween the authorities and the people
separated along racial lines. In addition there was the separation of ethnic
groups associated with the economic, educational and social relations. After Indonesian
independence the pluralistic society situation continues. The end of the New
Order has opened a Pandora's Box of poor relations between ethnic and
inter-religious. As a result many conflicts occurred based on religious and ethnic differences.
The conflict heated up as the influx of political interests. The process of
political reform gave birth to a new awareness of the relationship between
ethnicity and religion. The starting point of this change was when the President
Abdurrahman Wahid unlocked barriers on multicultural relationship that respects
the differences of cultural orientation among the exist-ing ethnic. From that
moment the concept of multiculturalism experienced socialization pro-cess
within Indonesian society.
Author: Wasino
Journal Code: jpsejarah&umumgg130003
