Indonesia Community Studies

Introduction

Indonesian society is a society with heterogeneity levels that is extraordinarily complex, as same with the social structure. The political, economic, socio-cultural and legal aspects are very dynamic. Even territorial areas inhabited by ethnic groups that tend to be static are also experiencing changes especially since East Timor was separated from Indonesia politics and law under President Habibi’s government. Indonesian society which is very heterogeneous with a variety of social and cultural systems, is susceptible to conflict, both vertical and horizontal. Such conflicts often lead to serious changes which if not managed well, can disrupt or even destroy national integration. Of course the conditions of disintegration experienced by countries in the Balkan region are not expected to happen in Indonesia. However there is Book Review conflict at a certain level that can provide new energy for its national integration realization.

The global challenges facing Indonesian society provide positive impact on the development of the lives of Indonesian people. On the other hand, the negative impact of globalization encourages each race, ethnic, political and social groups in the local area to rising and forms their own government by occupying their local area. Such developments if not well anticipated could weaken the nation and state commitment among local communities, it is not even impossible national integration could be torn apart. It is hoped thar Indonesian society study material presented in the book will enlighten students and readers understanding in general regarding the condition of Indonesian society, including the social capital that it still has. National understanding and commitment will grow stronger by studying cultural and gender concepts and approaches in development. In this revised edition, new material is added namely multicultural education. This material is deemed necessary because of the complexity of the problems faced by the Indonesian people since independence until today.

This problem is related to the pluralistic condition of Indonesia which often gives rise to conflict and tension among the nation’s citizens, due to a weak understanding and sense of belonging to national values. That is why the presence of multicultural educational materials is expected to increase understanding and appreciation of Indonesia’s diversity and at the same time it is hoped to increase awareness that differences are God blessing that must be appreciated for the sake of creating harmony in the life of Indonesian society and nation. The study material in this book cannot be said to represent the substance of the study of Indonesian Society Studies, because it examines Indonesian society with all its aspects is not enough just to write about with hundreds of sheets. Even thousands of sheets cannot represent the study of Indonesian society’s potential and problems it faced always experiencing development. This book only shows just the main points in the hope that other sources can be sought by students and readers.

Indonesia society concept needs to be differentiated from the concept of Indonesian Citizen. Indonesian Society is a sociological and anthropological concept while Indonesian Citizen is more juridical in nature. The structure of Indonesian society can be seen horizontally and vertically. There are differences in Indonesian society from these categories, including differences in ethnicity, religion, customs and regionalism. Vertically differences can be seen from social levels, for example level of wealth and social status. The pluralism of Indonesian society is emphasized in the ethnic diversity in Indonesia. The loyalty of the Indonesian people is manifested in ethnic loyalty and national loyalty, both can complement each other. In a pluralistic multi-ethnic society, it is acknowledged that conflicts easily occur, but efforts can be made to prevent them by strengthening the development of a national culture whose sources can be drawn from local culture and increasing welfare for the entire community. Multiculturalism is an ideology that values differences and equality. Individual differences and group differences are looked at as cultural differences. In difference there is equality. Equality is emphasized especially in ascriptive differences, such as differences in ethnicity and culture, physical characteristics or race, religious beliefs, gender and age.

Multiculturalism is not only fighting for equality of ethnicity, race, gender and age, but also fighting for oppressed social classes. In other words, multiculturalism is an ideological and politics struggle for those marginalized by a large system. Apart from being an ideological normative vision, multiculturalism is also used descriptively to refer to a society that has cultural diversity. Efforts to build multiculturalism in a pluralistic and multicultural Indonesian society are through multicultural education elementary, middle school, high school and university levels. The learning model developed in multiculturalism teaching must be adapted to the level of development and needs of students. With proper multiculturalism education, students will have an correct understanding and proper appreciation regarding diversity of ethnic, cultural, social and religious background.