| Abstrak/Abstract |
This research aims to study the political contestation surrounding the concept of?indigenous rights? in Indonesia and how such contestation results in the practice of inclusion and exclusion of indigenous people from the legal and social framework which is supposed to provide them with certain rights and participation. In the midst of indigenous people‘s suffering from land-grabbing, forced migration, resources depletion due to mining, logging, plantation projects, and the absence of a comprehensive legal
framework to protect their rights, this research intends to illuminate why non-recognition toward indigenous rights persists in Indonesia. Although various researches have been conducted to answer this question, these researches tend to consider indigeneity more as a political commodity for elites and undermine the agency of indigenous people in organizing their struggle. Further, the complexity which results from indigenous people multiple belonging—ranging from indigenous community to national and regional level—is also under-researched. In order to fill the gap, this research will study how actors at different levels perceive the concept of indigenous rights, who they consider as responsible for the recognition, protection, and provision of such rights, how these
different notions are contested, and how such antagonism results in the practice of inclusion and exclusion of certain subjects which hinder the protection of their rights and participation. This study attempts to uncover the ?politics of need? which animates the
problem of indigenous rights non-recognition. Two cases are chosen for this research: Dayak community in Singkawang and Sambas, West Kalimantan and Sedulur Sikep community in Central Java. While Dayak is an ethnic-based indigenous community and
located in peripheral Indonesia, Sedulur Sikep is a faith-based community living in the core of Indonesia political-economy. In-depth interviews, as well as textual analysis will be conducted to collect data from indigenous people, civil society organizations, and
government officials. |
