Constructing Ethnic Politics in Indonesia

This research addresses fundamental issues in the study of ethnic politics. It aims to identify factors and processes that: i) make ethnicity matter politically; ii) guide political actors' choices when selecting from a range of possible ethnic identity choices; and iii) encourage political actors to build inter-ethnic coalitions. It does so by combining qualitative fieldwork research in five Indonesian provinces with quantitative analysis of election results and other data from a larger sample of provinces. Comparing electoral behavior to other arenas of political action, it throws light on circumstances that encourage inter-ethnic cooperation rather than conflict, and on local political dynamics in Indonesia's regions.