Competing Myths of Nationalist Identity

The development of an Ambonese nationalist movement
from a non-territorial communal riot offers
an important insight into understanding the changes
in ethnic and national consciousness that had taken
place among the Ambonese since the eruption of
violence in January 1999. The 1999 conflict in
Ambon, Eastern Indonesia began as a communal riot in
which members of one group suddenly instigated a
violent attack on civilian members of another group.
However the development of the Moluccan Sovereignty
Front and the Java-based Laskar Jihad represented an
important phase in conflict development as each
nationalist construction played off each other. The
conflict on the island became characterised by this
trend where two conflicting ideological
constructions translated the conflict into a non-
negotiable confrontion between opposing national
rights. These constructions remained internalised on
the island and embedded within the mindsets of both
Ambonese Christians and Muslims thereby rendering
setbacks to conflict resolution.

Autorentext

Dr Kathleen Turner completed her doctorate in Politics & International Studies at Murdoch University in Western Australia in affiliation with the university's Asia Research Centre. She is currently based in Adelaide, Australia consulting for the private sector.

Klappentext

The development of an Ambonese nationalist movement from a non-territorial communal riot offers an important insight into understanding the changes in ethnic and national consciousness that had taken place among the Ambonese since the eruption of violence in January 1999. The 1999 conflict in Ambon, Eastern Indonesia began as a communal riot in which members of one group suddenly instigated a violent attack on civilian members of another group. However the development of the Moluccan Sovereignty Front and the Java-based Laskar Jihad represented an important phase in conflict development as each nationalist construction played off each other. The conflict on the island became characterised by this trend where two conflicting ideological constructions translated the conflict into a non-negotiable confrontion between opposing national rights. These constructions remained internalised on the island and embedded within the mindsets of both Ambonese Christians and Muslims thereby rendering setbacks to conflict resolution.