Alternative National Narratives in Indonesia

Abstract

In this chapter we turn from the two dominant national narratives in Indonesia to consider other potential sources of storytelling about Indonesia as a nation. In the first part of the chapter we turn to Islam and the power of Indonesia’s dominant religion to shape political ideas about the past, present and future of the nation. We argue that Islam provides potential powerful forms of storytelling, but also faces limitations in providing an alternative national narrative in its own right. In the second half of the chapter we turn to ideas about democracy, human rights and inequality, and consider the potential for these different sets of ideas to shape the overall Indonesian national narrative. Importantly, we note that while the dominant national narratives imagine Indonesians as all possessing a similar purpose, differences and inequalities in society mean that this is not necessarily the case, and there is the potential for challenges to the dominant national narratives on this basis.