Christianity in Indonesia: Perspectives of Power (Southeast Asian Modernities)

Indonesia is a multicultural and multireligious nation whose heterogeneity is codified in the state doctrine, the Pancasila, yet the relations between the various social, ethnic, and religious groups have been problematic. In several respects, Christians have a precarious role in the struggle for shaping the nation. In the aftermath of the former president Suharto’s resignation and in the course of the ensuing political changes, Christians have been involved both as victims and perpetrators in violent regional clashes with Muslims, which claimed thousands of lives. For this reason, the situation of Christians in Indonesia is an important issue that goes far beyond research on a minority.