Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T14:52:40.898Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Local Conflict in Post-Suharto Indonesia: Understanding Variations in Violence Levels and Forms Through Local Newspapers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2016

Patrick Barron  and
Joanne Sharpe
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Responding to conflict, in Indonesia and elsewhere, requires an understanding of its distribution, forms, and impacts. In this article, we outline an attempt to use local newspaper monitoring to measure the levels and impacts of violent conflict during the period 2001–2003 in two Indonesian provinces (East Java and NTT). We also assess variation in incidence, impact, and form across and within areas. The study data suggest first that previous research has vastly underestimated the impacts of violent conflict in Indonesia. Comparing our data with those of the previous attempt to use newspapers to map conflict in Indonesia (by the UN Support Facility for Indonesian Recovery [UNSFIR]), we find three times as many deaths from collective violence. These differences are a function of the level of news sources used, with provincial papers picking up only a small proportion of deaths in our research areas. Further, we argue that the impacts of certain types of violence between individuals should be included, leading to even higher figures. Second, our data call into question the dictum that violence in Indonesia is concentrated in a small number of regions. While there is variation between districts, we record large impacts from collective violence in areas not previously considered conflict-prone. Third, substantial variations in conflict form are found across regions, and these result in different kinds of impacts. This underlines the importance of consideration of the role of local factors in driving conflicts and suggests that approaches must be tailored to local conditions. Finally, we demonstrate that using local newspapers to measure and analyze conflicts presents a useful tool for understanding conflict in Indonesia. The use of subprovincial news sources captures more accurate estimates of conflict incidence than other methods, such as provincial newspaper mapping or surveying. It can also provide a basis for a deeper understanding of variations in patterns of conflict across areas and provide insights into how we might respond.

Keywords

ConflictviolenceIndonesiaethnic violenceWorld Bankdevelopmentculturelocal conflict
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of East Asian Studies , Volume 8 , Issue 3 , December 2008 , pp. 395 - 423
Copyright
Copyright © East Asia Institute 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barnawai, Saifullah. 2003. “Rumors, Women and Carok: A Case Study of Carok in the Rice Fields, Desa Campor, Kecamatan Proppo, Pamekasan.” Mimeo. Jakarta: World Bank.Google Scholar
Barron, Patrick. 2007. “Getting Reintegration Back on Track: Problems in Aceh and Priorities for Moving Forward.” Paper presented at the conference “The Peace Process in Aceh: The Remainders of Violence and the Future of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam,” Harvard University, October 24–27.Google Scholar
Barron, Patrick, Diprose, Rachael, and Woolcock, Michael. 2006. “Local Conflict and Community Development in Indonesia: Assessing the Impact of the Kecamatan Development Program.” Indonesian Social Development Paper No. 10. Jakarta: World Bank.Google Scholar
Barron, Patrick, Kaiser, Kai, and Pradhan, Menno. 2004. “Local Conflict in Indonesia: Measuring Incidence and Identifying Patterns.” Policy Research Working Paper No. 3384. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Barron, Patrick, and Madden, David. 2004. “Violence and Conflict Resolution in ‘Non-Conflict’ Regions: The Case of Lampung, Indonesia.” Indonesian Social Development Paper No. 2. Jakarta: World Bank.Google Scholar
Barron, Patrick, and Sharpe, Joanne. 2005. “Counting Conflicts: Using Newspaper Reports to Understand Violence in Indonesia.” Conflict Prevention and Reconstruction Paper No. 25. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Barron, Patrick, Smith, Claire Q., and Woolcock, Michael. 2004. “Understanding Local Level Conflict in Developing Countries: Theory, Evidence and Implications from Indonesia.” Conflict Prevention and Reconstruction Paper No. 19. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Bertrand, Jacques. 2004. Nationalism and Ethnic Violence in Indonesia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bertrand, Jacques. 2008. “Ethnic Conflicts in Indonesia: National Models, Critical Junctures and the Timing of Violence.” Journal of East Asian Studies 8, 3: 425–449.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burton, John W. 1987. Resolving Deep-Rooted Conflicts: A Handbook. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.Google Scholar
Clark, Samuel, ed. 2005. “More Than Just Ownership: Ten Land and Natural Resource Conflict Case Studies from East Java and NTT.” Indonesian Social Development Paper No. 4. Jakarta: World Bank.Google Scholar
Coser, Louis. 1956. The Functions of Social Conflict. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Fisher, Roger, and Ury, William. 1981. Getting to Yes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.Google Scholar
Gibson, Christopher, and Woolcock, Michael. 2005. “Empowerment and Local Level Conflict Mediation in the Kecamatan Development Project in Indonesia: Concepts, Measures, and Project Efficacy.” Policy Research Working Paper No. 3713. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Gurr, Ted Robert, Marshall, Monty G., and Khosla, Deepa. 2001. “Peace and Conflict 2001: A Global Survey of Armed Conflicts, Self-Determination Movements, and Democracy.” College Park: Center for International Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland.Google Scholar
Hill, B. J. 1982. “An Analysis of Conflict Resolution Techniques: From Problem-Solving Workshops to Theory.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 26, 1: 109–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
International Crisis Group. 2002. “Tensions on Flores: Local Symptoms of National Problems.” Indonesia Briefing. Jakarta/Brussels, October 10.Google Scholar
International Crisis Group. 2003a. “Indonesia: Managing Decentralisation and Conflict in South Sulawesi.” Asia Report No. 60. Jakarta/Brussels, July 18.Google Scholar
International Crisis Group. 2003b. “The Perils of Private Security in Indonesia: Guards and Militias on Bali and Lombok.” Asia Report No. 67. Jakarta/Brussels, November 7.Google Scholar
Justino, Patricia. 2005. “Redistribution and Civil Unrest.” Paper prepared for the meeting of the American Economic Association, Philadelphia, January 7–9.Google Scholar
Kalyvas, Stathis. 2008. “Promises and Pitfalls of an Emerging Research Program: The Microdynamics of Civil War.” In Order, Conflict, Violence , ed. Kalyvas, Stathis N., Shapiro, Ian, and Masoud, Tarek. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kriesberg, Louis. 2003. Constructive Conflicts: From Escalation to Resolution. 2nd ed. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield.Google Scholar
Muda, Hubert, and Satu, Adam. 2001. “Interlasi Antara Sistem Kekerabatan dan Masalah Kepemilikan Tanah di Manggarai.” Lembaga Studi van Bekkum-Verheijen. Mimeo. Research Report for the District Government of Manggarai.Google Scholar
Prior, John Mansfield. 2003. “The Church and Land Disputes: Sobering Thoughts from Flores.” Mimeo. Maumere: Chandratiya Research Center for the Study of Religion and Culture.Google Scholar
Probo, Endro. 2003. “The Phenomenon of the Martial Arts Schools in Kabupaten Ponorogo.” Mimeo. Jakarta: World Bank.Google Scholar
Said, Mohammed. 2003. “Carok: Contradiction Between Culture and Social (Criminal) Pathology.” Mimeo. Jakarta: World Bank.Google Scholar
Sidel, John T. 2006. Riots, Pogroms, Jihad: Religious Violence in Indonesia. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singer, David. 1990. Models, Methods and Progress: A Peace Research Odyssey. Boulder: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Tajima, Yuhki. 2004. “Mobilizing for Violence: The Escalation and Limitation of Identity Conflicts: The Case of Lampung, Indonesia.” Indonesian Social Development Paper No. 3. Jakarta: World Bank.Google Scholar
Tajima, Yuhki. 2008. “Explaining Ethnic Violence in Indonesia.” Journal of East Asian Studies 8, 3: 451–472.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 2004. “Indonesia: Decentralized Conflict Sensitive Planning and Development: An Assessment and Project Formulation Report.” Manuscript. Jakarta: UNDP.Google Scholar
van Klinken, Gerry. 2007. Communal Violence and Democratization in Indonesia: Small Town Wars. London: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Varshney, Ashutosh. 2002. Ethnic Violence and Civic Life: Hindus and Muslims in India. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Varshney, Ashutosh, Tadjoeddin, Mohammad Zulfan, and Panggabean, Rizal. 2008. “Creating Datasets in Information-Poor Environments: Patterns of Collective Violence in Indonesia (1990–2003).” Journal of East Asian Studies 8, 3: 361–394.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vel, Jacqueline. 2001. “Tribal Battle in a Remote Island: How District Leaders in Sumba (Eastern Indonesia) Combat the Fading of Their Authority.” Indonesia 72, October.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wallensteen, Peter, and Sollenberg, Margaerta. 1998. “Armed Conflict and Regional Conflict Complexes: 1989–1997.” Journal of Peace Research 35, 5: 621–634.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Welsh, Bridget. 2008. “Local and National: Keroyakan Mobbing in Indonesia.” Journal of East Asian Studies 8, 3: 473–504.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilkinson, Steven. 2004. Votes and Violence: Electoral Competition and Ethnic Riots in India. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiyata, A. Latief. 2002. Carok: Konflik Kekerasan dan Harga Diri Orang Madura. Yogyakarta: LKiS.Google Scholar
World Bank. 2003. Breaking the Conflict Trap: Civil War and Development Policy. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar