Identity politics of Hindu society in Bali

Abstract

Balinese researchers such as Nordholt and Picard have extensively explored the discourse of identity formation in Balinese society from the colonial era to modern Bali. Picard, for example, considers Balinese identity to be formed through dialogic construction, namely the contact of Balinese people with their interlocutors (foreigners). But in its development, the Balinese try to construct their own identity according to the references given by the orientalists. In this study, it was found that there was a continuity of discourses with nuances of identity politics in Balinese society such as the emergence of discourse, kebalian, Ajeg Bali, efforts to legitimize Balinese language, script and traditional clothing in public spaces, and there was even a Balinese family planning movement as a counter movement against population control efforts through the national Family Planning (KB) program. The latest is the emergence of the Dresta Bali Hindu movement which seeks to restore the local Balinese variant of Hinduism. The novelty of this research is the argument that identity political discourse and movements in Balinese society are part of positioning, namely as a way for society or social groups to position or define themselves among external challenges.