Indonesia’s sense of self, the West, and democracy: an ontological (in)security perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT Democracy has remained an important phenomenon in Indonesian politics over the past two decades. Despite various studies on the topic, the question of ontological security, or security of the Indonesian self that lies at the heart of Indonesia’s identity, agency, and relations with others, has been largely overlooked. This article deviates from rationalist accounts to argue that democracy has been a crucial source of self-identification in Indonesia’s ontological struggle driven by colonial stigmas and existential anxiety. Similar to ‘sovereignty’ and ‘unity’, the idea of ‘democracy’ has been used repeatedly for many purposes, including the construction of the modern Indonesian state and the stabilisation of its sense of self. Recently, thanks to global politics and security, Indonesia’s democratic self has been recognized and showcased by the West. This democratic identity has fostered a sense of pride in achieving long-sought modernity, social agency and the ontological security of the state.