Empirical Foundations, Aceh

Abstract

This chapter provides the empirical foundations for discussions of flight, support, and voice in the Aceh conflict. It introduces Aceh's geographic and human landscapes, Acehnese and regional histories, the secessionist conflict, and the types of civilians discussed in the subsequent chapters. This chapter emphasizes how the war was experienced differently in various regions and by different ethnic groups. Previous accounts have been solely concerned with the northern districts and with ethnic Acehnese. The few accounts of Aceh's minorities (Bowen 1991; Dandy 1979) tend to be anthropological, saying little of the war. Understanding flight, support, and voice among ethnic Javanese, Malay, and Gayo communities demands new perspectives on the conflict. This is a study of Aceh, not simply the Acehnese.