The Ethnic Identity: The Genesis and Its Dynamics (The Case of Bugis)

Abstract

This paper will discuss the genesis of Bugis as an ethnic and its dynamics over time and space. Following the theories regarding ethnicity and identity, the author will elaborate on three questions: (1) How the Bugis emerge; (2) How the ruling power perceives the Bugis through the census; (3) How their members appropriate the Bugis ethnic identity in their daily interaction. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method. Field research was conducted by organizing interviews and observation and literature review from previous research. The government's census data was also considered to explain the classification of an ethnic group. The phenomena observed are analyzed using the interpretative method. This study shows that Bugis as an ethnic group does not have a clear origin. The author argues that Bugis ethnic is a result of the dialect of external and internal processes. Other societies have contributed to shaping Bugis with categorization and labeling. In contrast, the people who have lived with the traditional practices have appropriated themselves with these external categories and apprehended themselves. This identity is not something fixed and permanent, there are always shifts in ethnic identity within an interaction.