Indonesia was built on the premise of pluralism, as enshrined in the state ideology, Pancasila. Partly as a result of this constitutional foundation, Indonesian Islam has conventionally been viewed by outsiders and citizens alike as inclusive and moderate. However, tension over the relationship between religion and the state has always been present, with the level of these tensions rising and falling during critical junctures in the country’s history. Recently, ‘othering’ along primordial lines has become a particularly prominent part of the contemporary political discourse. During the 2017 Jakarta elections, the country saw divisive public debates and mobilisation, anchored in the intersection of politics and faith, driven by intolerance, and primordialism. Having endorsed the convenient image of Indonesian pluralism for decades, many observers and citizens were caught off guard. Why did this polarisation happen at this specific point of time, and what does it mean for Indonesian democracy? In this seminar, Dr Hamid asks what has allowed religious intolerance to take centre stage in Indonesia’s electoral democracy.

Sandra Hamid is The Asia Foundation’s country representative to Indonesia. A cultural anthropologist and development specialist with strong interests in political participation and civil society, Sandra has twenty years experience as a journalist, researcher, and development professional, nine of those years with The Asia Foundation.