Political Identity and Religious Prejudice in a Post-Conflict Society: A Case Study of Poso, Indonesia

Abstract

The article describes an alternative approach to postreligious social conflict analysis. The conflict which occurred in Poso district, Indonesia, is used as an example. The political perspective enables the examination of religious identity politicization in a society. Using the phenomenology method, the authors attempt to explore the meaning of concepts or phenomena based on the consciousness that occurs in some individuals who experiences conflict. The study indicates that the conflict in Poso was due to a change in political flow that was quickly accepted, as was the case with Islamic migrants entering the Poso region. They were initially only a minority, then became more extensive and occupied most of the strategic positions in the bureaucrat. This situation generated the indigenous Christian communities being marginalized that provoke social conflicts arose. Apart from intolerance and negative stigma, religious conflicts are also often triggered by the politicization of religion. This study contributes to strengthening the local context of policymakers in considering minority groups and indigenous peoples in the policy-making process.