ANTH 202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Civil Society, Governmentality, Suharto
8 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Socio-Cultural Anthropology ANTH 202
Class 10 – Marginality and the “Other” – State-local Relations
Ethnography from ANNA TSING: In the realm of the Diamond Queen
“Environmental anthropology – political ecologist: Indonesia
Looks at intersections between Discourse of West and Arabic peoples → influence of
representations of the West
→She tries to undertake a creative ethnography: how the Meratus Dayak (“Other” within
Indonesia) represent / experience their relationship with the State, nation and other ethnic
groups – own “idioms” and modes of representation!
Intersections between ethnicity, gender and state rule
Meratus Dayak:
One “group” of many Dayak
Long history of trade and tribute in forest products with other groups for World markets
Outside main social structures & Islam, but interconnected through pol and econ relations
MARGINALITY
- Relational concept – marginal in relationship with sth else!
o // the “Other”: set in relation with sth else
o Political, spatial, social…
- Meratus understandings of their marginality have developed through history of
relationship with State → Evolution of governance
STATE
- Instrument of bureaucratic rationalization, class interests (cf Weber, Marx)
- “Legitimate control on violence”
- Symbolic power and everyday practice – people’s experience
o Practices of “form-filling” etc.
o Known to “citizens” through its tech and activities
Historical Background: In this area of Indonesia → DUTCH COLONIAL GOVERNMENT
• Stabilized community boundaries, maps, census…
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
o Construction of villages (village and State are ligated)
o INDIRECT RULE
• “Culture System” – promotion of export crops
• Codified Customary Law:
o Legal pluralism / Dualism: in one country, you have two bodies of law that people
operate under: multiple legal sys among one pop/geographical area
o Customary Law and Indirect rule: trying to write down people’s practices,
imposing indirect rule: doesn’t actually reflect true practices, it is wrote down in
the writers’ interest (Colonials)
Used this to control natural resources
They recognized some groups and some areas as being under Adat law and others under Dutch
colonial law
→Ethnic and spatial implications
Within this context, Meratus customs not codified bc not considered authentic
→
peripheral
subjects
Meratus’ relationship with the State evolved:
- Dayak territory = area of military action (Japanese invasion 1942)
- Territory used by guerrillas after Ind independence → quelled in 1965
- Meratus not seriously affected by State until Suharto regime!
SUHARTO (1970s – 98)
• New Order Gov
• Outer Islands “Unity in Diversity”
“Museumized” cultures
• Increased military and econ control of natural resources
Practical autonomy of Dayak until focus on logging and resource use for dvt in 90s under
Suharto
Marginality in Indonesia:
Java VS “Outer Islands” → Center-periphery / Javanese VS “other” ethnic groups
Muslim VS no religion
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Class 10 marginality and the other state-local relations. Ethnography from anna tsing: in the realm of the diamond queen. Looks at intersections between discourse of west and arabic peoples influence of representations of the west. She tries to undertake a creative ethnography: how the meratus dayak ( other within. Indonesia) represent / experience their relationship with the state, nation and other ethnic groups own idioms and modes of representation! Long history of trade and tribute in forest products with other groups for world markets. Outside main social structures & islam, but interconnected through pol and econ relations. Relational concept marginal in relationship with sth else! // the other : set in relation with sth else: political, spatial, social . Meratus understandings of their marginality have developed through history of relationship with state evolution of governance. Instrument of bureaucratic rationalization, class interests (cf weber, marx)
