Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Student Activism In Post-Colonial Societies: An Analysis Of Egyptian And Indonesian Government Intervention In Student Movements, Hiba Imad

Senior Theses

Student activism is a central component of many political movements against authoritarian hegemony. This paper focuses on multiple instances of student activism in Egypt and Indonesia over the past fifty years. As such, the following questions are considered: how have the post-colonial systems of government impacted legislation that enforces the limits of free speech and mobilization? How has student activism evolved in the digital age? How have governments responded to the changing digital landscape, and how might their tactics evolve in the future? These questions are considered within the framework of violence and its multiple forms, as Johan Galtung, Nancy …

Middle Power And Symbolic Power In Climate Change Negotiations: The Case Of Indonesia’S Strategy In The Katowice Climate Change Conference, Adam Pratama, Moch Faisal Karim

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

This article presents a fresh perspective on international climate change negotiations by shining a light on the often-ignored concept of symbolic power within the role of middle powers, an area where current literature largely emphasizes behavioral and functional aspects. Focusing on Indonesia's participation in the 2018 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland, the study explores how the nation adeptly wielded symbolic power to champion the concerns of developing nations. Through strategic utilization of language and identity, Indonesia underscored three crucial negotiation points: financial support, technological transfer, and capacity building—all essential for achieving the Paris Agreement …

Turning Ubud Into Unwto's Prototype For A World Gastronomic Destination Through Gastrodiplomacy, Alessandro Kurniawan Ulung

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

In 2019, the Indonesian Government proposed Ubud in Bali to become the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) 's prototype for a world gastronomic destination. It turned out that, despite its rich inventory of gastronomic assets and attractions, Ubud met with challenges when convincing UNWTO to give it the title. To deal with this problem, the Indonesian Government practised gastrodiplomacy to influence UNWTO to endorse Ubud as the world gastronomic destination. This research, therefore, aims to explain the implementation of Indonesia's gastrodiplomacy. By using a qualitative method with interpretative analysis in place, I argued that the Government used gastrodiplomacy to …

Explaining Suharto's Rise And Fall: International And Domestic Variables, Julia Batanghari

Undergraduate Honors Theses

For three decades (1968-1998), Indonesia was led by President Suharto, whose authoritarian military regime is remembered for its corruption and brutality. This paper offers an analysis of Suharto’s rule through the lens of two events: his 1965 purge of local ‘communists’ and the riots of May 1998. Drawing comparisons between the two, I delve into systemic causes by considering the influence of domestic and international variables. Exploring links between intergroup accommodation and democracy reveals that Suharto’s lack of ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious inclusivity paved the way not only for the anti-Chinese sentiment which pervaded Indonesian society during his presidency, but …

George Floyd In Papua: Image-Events And The Art Of Resonance, Karen Strassler

Publications and Research

This article offers an introduction to the “image-event” as both concept and method through a focus on the circulation of images around the killing of George Floyd. It examines how these images reverberated and resonated in West Papua, a restive region of Indonesia that has been the site of a long-standing separatist movement. It critically examines a celebratory media discourse that sees the US-based Black Lives Matter movement as expanding outward to spark similar movements elsewhere, a logic that reiterates long-standing colonialist narratives that figure places like Papua as backwaters belatedly receiving and imitatively taking up ideas that flow from …

Politically Speaking: Ethnic Language And Audience Opinion In Southeast Asia, Jacob I. Ricks

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Language is one of the quintessential markers of ethnicity. It allows co-ethnics to easily identify one another and underscores in-group and out-group boundaries. Recognizing this, politicians frequently employ ethnic tongues to enhance their political appeal. To what extent does this shape the opinions of their audiences? Utilizing a survey experiment, I test the impact of an ethnic tongue against that of the common political language among the Javanese in Indonesia, the Tagalog in the Philippines, and the Isan people in Thailand. The experiment demonstrates that the ethnic language has a significant impact in both Thailand and Indonesia, but there appears …

Visualizing Politics In Indonesia: The Design And Distribution Of Election Posters, Colm A. Fox

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Where studies have shown that visuals are the primary means of political communication, research continues to focus largely on text-based information. To add to our understanding of visual-political communications, this article analyses Indonesian election posters since the 1950s. Drawing on historical materials and on a content analysis of 4,000 election posters, it asks why election posters have been designed and distributed in particular ways. Findings indicate that in the past, posters used singular, though powerful, social symbols to mobilize demographic groups behind political parties. However, contemporary posters are more visually complex and more candidate-centered, making arguments as to what the …

Building On Ruins: Impacts Of Mass Violence And State-Led Repression In Indonesia, Geraldine Santoso

International Affairs Senior Theses

How does mass violence affect perceptions of citizenship? What are the impacts of mass violence and state-led repression on post-colonial political economies? This thesis focuses on the impact of mass violence on the perceptions of citizenship and the political economy of Indonesia. After the Indonesian 1965-1966 mass murders and subsequent state-led repression under General Suharto, perceptions of political and civic identity and political participation were fundamentally changed– where Chinese Indonesians, despite their economic power, are politically disenfranchised and PKI/PKI affiliated pribumi (native) Indonesians are neither politically nor economically empowered.

Capitalist expansion also serves as a critical motive for mass atrocity …

Taking The Bull By The Horns: Gender Analysis In A Cattle Project In Indonesia, Febrina Prameswari

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

Women play a crucial role in agriculture, especially in cattle farming. However, gender inequality in livestock production remains a critical issue, as women usually have less engagement with livestock production, less control over finances, and less access to markets. The IndoBeef program in Indonesia was one of the first livestock projects to incorporate gender-specific activities in its implementation. The project used women-only focus groups, utilizing the Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI) combined with farm production data to address women’s needs in the cattle industry. I conducted a gender analysis of one of IndoBeef’s subsidiary projects, CropCow. The project did …

Electoral System And Party Survival: The Case Of Indonesian Democracy 1999-2019, M. Faishal Aminuddin, M. Fajar Shodiq Ramadlan

Jurnal Politik

Studies on party survival strongly emphasize the internal dynamics of political parties and their ability to adapt to retain voter support. This article contends that changes in electoral systems and laws, classified as an external factors, also have a significant impact. As a result of these changes, new political parties cannot register to run for office. These changes have also made small political parties with little support unable to survive in parliament. Two significant findings emerge from this case study of Indonesia’s five election cycles. First, changes in Indonesia’s electoral systems and laws have been heavily influenced by the desire …

Persistence Of Power And Subnational Democratic Performance: The Case Of Indonesia, Fnu Testriono

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

How different is the democratic performance of one province over another in Indonesia? What explains the variations in democratic performance across provinces in the country? Democratic performance varies within a country. Some subnational jurisdictions have higher electoral accountability, protect civil liberties, and deliver public goods, while others do not. Most studies on democratic performance have focused primarily on comparative analyses across nations and hence have overlooked the subnational variations. Taking advantage of subnational comparative analysis, this study examined the territorially uneven patterns of democratic performance across subnational units within Indonesia. This study utilized factor analysis to assess the performance of …

The Pandemic As Political Opportunity: Jokowi’S Indonesia In The Time Of Covid-19, Charlotte Setijadi

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In mid-2021, the Delta strain of the Covid-19 virus caused a second wave of transmissions and deaths in Indonesia at a scale much greater than what was seen in 2020. In this paper, I examine what the Indonesian government’s handling of the Covid crisis in 2021 reveals about the priorities of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), as well as his political agenda and attitude towards the country’s democracy, as he strives to cement his legacy. I argue that, while devastating, the Covid-19 pandemic has given Jokowi the opportunity to push through long-planned economic and political reforms. Furthermore, I contend that, under …

Managing Indonesian Head Of Local Government Elections During The Covid-19 Pandemic Period, Aditya Perdana

Jurnal Politik

This paper analyses the Local Government elections (Pilkada) in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to its postponement by looking at three critical aspects in the electoral management framework decision-making process, service outputs, and service outcomes framed. Some findings of this paper are: first, decision making for conducting the Pilkada 2020 was politically uneasy; second, good quality of service outputs from Pilkada 2020 was signed by convenience dimension which can be captured by voter compliance on health protocols in the polling station; third, the best evaluation for service outcomes is coming from the high percentage of voters turn out …

Heritage Politics And Museums During Japanese Occupation Period, 1942-1945, Ajeng Ayu Arainikasih

International Review of Humanities Studies

Before the World War II, approximately 25 museums were already established in colonial Indonesia. At that time, most of the museums were built by the Europeans to serve their interests. However, when the Dutch capitulated to the Japanese military government, what had happened to the existing museums in Indonesia were slightly known. Therefore, this research examines the history of the museum development during the Japanese occupation period in Indonesia in 1942-1945. The data gathered for this archival study are through magazine and newspaper articles published during the Japanese occupation period as well as through the archives of Arsip Nasional Indonesia, …

The Cross-Dressing Terrorist, The Malaccan Mouse-Deer, And Indonesian Prison Surveillance: An Examination Of Radical Indonesian Islamist Cells And Their Relationship To Prison Indoctrination, Violent Recidivism, And State Surveillance, Miranda Kerrigan

Senior Projects Spring 2021

This thesis explores the historical context that has lead Indonesian prisons to be one of the dominant locations for radical Islamic indoctrination in the archipelago. Through an exploration of several key historical stories and events, from Islams' introduction to the region to the current ramifications of bombings and riots, I conclude the most viable solution to prevent further violence is the incorporation of surveillance technology within prisons.

Intolerant Democrat Syndrome: The Problem Of Indonesian Democratic Consolidation, Saiful Mujani

Jurnal Politik

Indonesia underwent democratization after more than 20 years (1998–2020), but many studies conclude that the country’s democracy is not consolidated and suffered a setback, at least in the last five years. An increase in political intolerance in society is believed to be the cause of this setback. However, studies on Indonesian political tolerance are biased and thus do not reflect actual conditions of general tolerance. This study offers a new unbiased strategy called “content-controlled measures of political tolerance” in the research on political tolerance. This strategy has been used in a series of national public opinion surveys for a relatively …

Why Have Candidates In Indonesian Elections Increasingly Been Rallying Ethnic And Religious Support?, Colm A. Fox

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Ethnicity and religion often become politicised in elections. Research has found that this is particularly true during a transition to democracy. During these times, fragile democratic rules and practices, coupled with strong ethnic bonds, often motivate aspiring politicians to bolster their support by appealing to voters’ emotional allegiances to their tribe, ethnicity, or religion. But, Indonesia’s case is puzzling.

Indonesia: Twenty Years Of Democracy By Jamie S. Davidson [Book Review], Colm A. Fox

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In Indonesia: Twenty years of democracy, Jamie S. Davidson looks back over the two decades since Soeharto’s fall, focusing on the ‘tensions, inconsistencies, and contradictory puzzles of Indonesia’s democracy’ (p. 4). Refreshingly, the book moves beyond the common approach of studying the similarities and differences between the contemporary democratic period and the Soeharto era. Davidson identifies, labels and skilfully guides the reader through three separate eras in Indonesia’s recent democratic history: the innovation period (1998–2004), the stagnation period (2004–14) and the period of polarisation (2014–18). Each era is analysed in parallel fashion, with subsections on politics, political economy and identity-based …

Repositioning Indonesia In The Changing Maritime Landscape Of The Indo-Pacific Region, Sukmawani Bela Pertiwi

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

Indo-Pacific has been among the most contested regions in the past decade. After China demonstrated its ambitious goal in reviving maritime silk road with its military and economic presence, United States, India, Japan, and Australia formed a new coalition to counter this strategy. This paper aims to examine the position of Indonesia as a traditional regional maritime power in the context of this changing maritime landscape of the Indo-Pacific region. In doing so, this paper develops the concept of “the three faces of maritime power” which distinguishes maritime power into hard, soft, and normative maritime power. The findings of this …

Latent Securitisation Of Illegal, Unreported And Unregulated (Iuu) Fishing In Indonesia, Rage Taufika

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

This paper aims to explore and explain to what extent and in what ways the Indonesian Government has securitised the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in Indonesia since 2009, by utilising critical discourse analysis. Using the Securitisation theory from the Copenhagen School, this paper explains the analysis of the speech act and extraordinary measures from SBY’s administration, Jokowi’s first term and second term administration. While IUU fishing has been a severe global issue, 30 percent of the cases take place in Indonesia and it becomes a serious threat for the economy and maritime resources. In 2009, Indonesia amended the …

Islamic Revivalism In Indonesia: The Caliphate, Sharia, Nkri, Democracy, And The Nation-State, Fahlesa Munabari, Nadia Utami Larasati, Rizky Ihsan

Jurnal Politik

This research examines Indonesian Islamic revivalist movements’ perspectives on the concepts of the nation-state and democracy. The Islamic revivalist movements studied in this research include Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), Front Pembela Islam (FPI), Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI), and Forum Umat Islam (FUI). Following the fall of the authoritarian Suharto’s regime in 1998, Indonesia witnessed an escalation of Islamic activism whose goals revolve around the implementation of Sharia (Islamic law) and, to a certain extent, the reestablishment of a caliphate (transnational Islamic state). To this end, revivalist movements have been staging frequent mass protests, mainly addressing Indonesian government policies that are …

Interreligious Conflicts In Post-Authoritarian Indonesia: Assumptions, Causes, And Implications, Maksimus Regus

Jurnal Politik

While Indonesia is known as a land of religious tolerance, interreligious conflicts have been a central issue in the academe. This study attempts to rethink the discourse on this issue by criticizing and elucidating the long-accepted assumption that religion is one of the main sources of interreligious tensions in Indonesia. This study chose a critical qualitative review to extract data and information from previous studies and reports regarding this issue. The results of this study cover such main elements as causes of interreligious conflicts, assumptions on religious conflicts, implications of religious conflicts on the future of Indonesian multicultural society, and …

At The Hands Of Fate: The Political Economy Of Islamic Insurance In Indonesia, Malaysia, And Pakistan, C. 1980 To The Present, Muhammad S. Rahman

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Why have Islamic insurance systems developed well in some countries, but not in others? Malaysia is considered as Islamic insurance elite due to its relatively large number of operators it houses as well as the sustained growth of Islamic insurance sales within the country, while Indonesia and Pakistan are still in early stages of development. Analyzing the political and social history of Islamization of insurance systems in these three Muslim majority countries in Asia since 1980s, this dissertation demonstrates the development gap between these countries on Islamic insurance results from; firstly, complex bargains made between various groups within each country …

Farmers, Workers, And State Responses To The Food Crises: State-Society Conflicts And The Politics Of Agricultural Development In Indonesia And Nigeria, Sirojuddin Arif

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A solid agricultural foundation is required to build a strong industrial sector. However, how such a foundation can be established remains debated. This study addressed this question by examining the politics of state responses to the food crises in Indonesia and Nigeria. Despite the similar problem of food shortages faced by the two countries in the mid-1960s and early 1970s, respectively, why did they pursue divergent policy responses? Why did Indonesia implement rural-biased policies while Nigeria urban-biased ones to deal with the food crisis? What factor explains these different policy choices? And how did this factor affect the distributional outcome …

Asserting Indigenous Identity To Substantiate Customary Forest Claims: A Case Study Of The Dayaks Of West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Charlotte Reinnoldt

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines Dayak identity constructions and how they have been and are currently being used to assert customary land rights in forested areas of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Indonesian state has required that customary land claims include proof that communities have maintained their indigenous institutions. Drawing from government and NGO reports, academic research, and Indonesian law, a few questions thus are explored: What aspects of identity must be maintained in order to be sufficient to claim customary land rights under Indonesian law? How has recent Dayak mobilization fed into a resurgence in Dayak identity and pride, and vice versa? …

Book Review: Becoming Better Muslims: Religious Authority And Ethical Improvement In Aceh, Indonesia (By David Kloos) & Chinese Ways Of Being Muslim: Negotiating Ethnicity And Religiosity In Indonesia (By Hew Wai Weng), Charlotte Setijadi

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Indonesian Islam has earnedsomething of a bad reputation in recent times. Amid reports of risingintolerance against religious minorities, terrorism attacks, high-profileblasphemy cases and the growing political influence of hard-line Muslim groups,it is easy to take an alarmist stance and assume that Indonesia’s approximately225 million Muslims are heading down the path of puritanism. Indeed, evenseasoned analysts of Indonesia often forget that Indonesian Islam isheterogeneous, and that the everyday experiences of Muslims from differentsocio-cultural backgrounds are extremely diverse. This is why Hew Wai Weng’sand David Kloos’ respective books are much-needed additions to contemporaryscholarship on Islam in Indonesia.

Candidate-Centric Systems And The Politicization Of Ethnicity: Evidence From Indonesia, Colm A. Fox

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

When and why do electoral candidates politicize ethnicity? From the literature, we might expect this behaviour to occur during democratic transitions or under proportional rules. However, empirical support for these arguments is mixed. This article presents a new approach, arguing that candidate-centric rules offer candidates incentives to politicize ethnicity. The argument is tested in Indonesia with empirical evidence drawn from coding newspaper reports on campaign events, endorsements and group appeals. Indonesia used party-centric rules from 1997 to 2004, and even though the country democratized during this period, the politicization of ethnicity actually declined. I show how party-centric rules, coupled with …

Guarding Central Government Control Over Forest: Forest Governance In The Post Decentralization Indonesia, Ali Muhyidin

Jurnal Politik

This article examines whether reform forest governance in Indonesia started in the 1990s, which was partially aimed to promote equity, participation and sustainable forest management, has delivered its promised consequences. In the New Order era, the central government had sole authority in managing forests and granting exploitation rights. This authority has been partially transferred to local governments during a decentralization process to achieve greater efficiency and equity. However, the Indonesian case highlights that such institutional change has not yet produced the expected outcomes. The case indicates a contestation between the local and central government along with institutional resistance, which have …

The Effect Of Illicit Drugs Securitization In Indonesia, Yanu Widiyono

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Barry Buzan and the Copenhagen School scholars introduce the concept of Securitization in International Relations. This concept argues that threat is formed and based on the interpretation of the actors . Threat does not naturally arise from the situation of state. Rather, it arises because of how prominent actors politicize the issues.

This study mainly focuses on analyzing the effects of Illicit Drugs Securitization in Indonesia. Previous literature has analyzed the issue of Illicit Drugs Abuse and trafficking problems in Southeast Asia in general, but few focus on Indonesia in particular. As the biggest state in South East Asia and …

New Forms Of Political Activism In Indonesia: Redefining The Nexus Between Electoral And Movement Politics, Dirk Tomsa, Charlotte Setijadi

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article argues that new personality-centric movements have redefined the nexus between activism and electoral politics in Indonesia. It illustrates how these movements have challenged the role of political parties and consultants in electoral campaigning, and how their growing prominence may affect the future trajectory of Indonesian politics.