Putting Religion into Multiculturalism: Conceptualising Religious Multiculturalism in Indonesia

Abstract

This article examines the ways in which multiculturalism as a policy, discourse and practice has been conceptualised, implemented and applied in Indonesia. The post-Suharto democratisation process has allowed new space for the expression of previously oppressed identities. While literature on multiculturalism focuses mainly on ethnic and racial difference, this article endeavours to broaden the scope of the term to include religious difference, and evaluate the possibility of “religious multiculturalism”. It addresses the following questions: What are the different interpretations of multiculturalism? How is multiculturalism different from pluralism? How is multiculturalism understood and implemented in Indonesia? How is the Western discourse of multiculturalism different from Indonesian discourses of diversity (kebhinnekaan or kemajemukan), heterogeneity (keberagaman) and unity-in-diversity (Bhinneka Tunggal Ika)? And lastly, in what ways can the concept of multiculturalism be expanded to accommodate multi-religiosity?

Keywords:

• Indonesia
• multiculturalism
• pluralism
• religion
• religious multiculturalism
• minorities

Acknowledgments

This article was first presented at the International Conference on “Negotiating Diversity in Indonesia”, held at Singapore Management University on 5-6 November 2012, convened by the author and Lyn Parker.

Notes

1. Connolly has also rejected the conflation of pluralism with relativism. He argues that it is necessary to set limits to pluralism and tolerance “because it is impossible to house every possible mode of diversity in the same regime at the same time” (2005, p. 43).

2. I first came across the term “religious multiculturalism” in a conference paper presented by Syuan-Yuan Chiou at the EUROSEAS Conference in 2007.

3. This can be seen in the case of multiculturalism in Singapore, which Chua (2003) describes as “an instrument of social control”.