Community Based Diversity Management: Analysis of Community Activities Building Post-Conflict Social Harmony in Tual, Maluku Province, Indonesia

Abstract

Ethnic and religious diversity have often been used as a source of conflict between different groups of people. However, pluralistic societies’ local wisdom offers a potential tool for long-term building of peace. This study investigated the practice of diversity management by post-conflict communities in Tual, Maluku Province, Indonesia, along with the factors that support community-based diversity management and forms of activities that contribute to the creation of social harmony in the city. Research was conducted in 2017 through a field study, using qualitative methods to observe the ways in which community groups in the region developed post-conflict social harmony, with data constantly updated to determine the dynamics of diversity management in the community. Two important findings were made. First, shared cultural and historical factors, availability of public spaces for encounters, and traumatic transformation influence and support diversity management and contribute to the creation of social harmony in Tual. And second, several communities were built by community initiatives as the foundation of managing diversity.Community daily activities proved to be effective in ensuring long-term peace building. Based on the reality of social lives in Tual, this study confirmed that a cultural approach is still relevant in efforts to end communal conflict and build social harmony, and synergy between stakeholders is needed to strengthen the social and cultural capital owned by community groups in conflict areas.

Precarious Coexistence in Maluku: Fear and Trauma in Post-Conflict Christian-Muslim Relations

“…38 Suffla, Malherbe and Seedat 2020, 352. 39 Rumahuru and Gaspersz 2021, Anwar 2021, Ali 2011 these values are prosocial. This attitude reflects the position that the state has taken since its early days, aiming to inculcate values in its citizens to foster respect for their fellow citizens and celebrate the country's diversity.…”

Preserving Diversity: Lessons from Batang Tarang Village of West Kalimantan

“…Its proponents assert that indigenous approaches to peacemaking that are relational and participatory have a higher probability of reaching peaceful solutions than peace initiatives pursued through "liberal peace" (Mac Ginty, 2008). A study conducted by Rumahuru and Gaspersz (2021) on the post-conflict Maluku community provides evidence of the social reality in the Tual area that the cultural approach is still valuable for efforts to stop inter-group conflicts and promote community peace. Meanwhile, Samiyono (2017) states that local wisdom has a significant role in building social harmony in society, although it still needs further elaboration, especially when it has a national impact.…”

Subuh Orchestra of Religious Harmony of Baitunnur Mosque and Santo Yusuf Catholics Church in Pati Central Java

“…Problems of culture also make sense in the construction of religious diversity (Idnani, 2021;White, Baimel, & Norenzayan, 2021). Construction of the religious diversity also makes sense of the ethnicity problems, these contain three variables that impact and promote the management of diversity and contribute to the establishment of social harmony: (1) common cultural and historical aspects, (2) availability of public venues for encounters, and (3) traumatic change (Rumahuru & Gaspersz, 2021). The end factor was habitual cultures, although seemly simple these parts must be done continuously (Bouma, Arunachalam, Gamlen, & Healy, 2021).…”