| Publication |
2012.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The article explores the comparatively peaceful reconstitution of the relationships between law, religion and identification processes among the Minangkabau in West Sumatra, Indonesia, since the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998. The local reorganization of village government and land claims included the revitalization of adat institutions which in turn provoked a reconsideration of the role of Islam, as indeed of the meaning of 'being Minangkabau', indicating tensions within the relationships between matrilineal Minangkabau adat, Islam, and the state. The paper seeks to explain this reconsideration and contestation of Minangkabau identity, and how the various actors mobilize identification with a particular legal order within the plural legal constellation enhanced by the recent decentralization process in Indonesia. Disputes seem to be an important avenue for understanding identification processes, and conversely, disputing cannot be understood without a comprehension of identity formation.
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