Kulturkampf in Minangkabau

Der neue alte Streit um die wahre minangkabausche Identität in der Zeit der Reformasi

Abstract

As in other regions in Indonesia the new political freedom and the decentralization policy in West Sumatra, the homeland of the Minangkabau, have led to increased public reflection on ethnic identity and culture. The discussions are less concerned with redefining the boundaries with other ethnic groups, but mainly inward looking, searching for the "true" Minangkabau culture. In Minangkabau this primarily means finding the "true"or "correct" balance between the three normative and institutional orders of matrilineal Minangkabau adat, adherence to Islam, and their membership in the Indonesian state. The authority to lay down the "correct" culture and ethnicity, however, concerns more than culture. It becomes a political commodity that helps, at least at the level of ideological and political discourse, shaping the constellation of legal pluralism in West Sumatra. Possessing such "expertise" can also be converted in to economic capital as experts become involved as researchers, advisors, and consultants in the manifold projects financed by local government and foreign donor organisations.