The Batak Citizens of Indonesia

• In Event: Citizenship in the Peripheries: Identities in SE Asia (Mini-Conference 2/3)

Abstract

Why have the Bataks of North Sumatra assimilated so well with the Indonesian national identity?This integration is puzzling when one considers that seventy years ago, the pro-autonomy rebellions of PRRI and Permesta were led by prominent Batak figures who were disgruntled by Soekarno’s Java-centric government. Furthermore, the Acehnese, the Bataks’ neighbors to the north in the Aceh province, had articulated and mobilized an extensive pro-independence movement for decades until 2005. In this paper, I explore the dynamics of Bataknese integration, starting with their part in Indonesia’s independence movement, the development (and subsequent demobilization) of the PRRI and Permesta rebellions, and the inclusion of Bataknese leaders in government. Lastly, I discuss the role of religious organizations and public education in cultivating a strong national identity in North Sumatra.

Author

• Risa Toha, Yale-NUS