Reconstructing Rituals: Expressions of Autonomy and Resistance in a Sino‐Indonesian School

Abstract

This article examines the role that rituals enacted in an Indonesian school for Chinese play in shaping behavior, inculcating values, and sustaining a learning community. The analysis draws from research suggesting that school rituals may promote the interests of the dominant culture, but can also function counterhegemonically, creating opportunities for subordinate groups to promote their own interests. In the hands of teachers at St. Timothy's Junior High, activities designed to venerate national cohesion were revised to highlight the school's independence from the central government and the dominant culture. This evidence adds to recent literature suggesting that hegemony is not always unidirectionally imposed on students, and reveals formations of resistance that diverge from the common student versus school model.