Social change and the contributions of the tionghoa, dayak and melayu (tidayu) in west kalimantan

Abstract

This chapter explores the contribution of West Kalimantan in the process of change and development of customary communities in Borneo and, more generally, in Indonesia. It begins with a discussion of written materials produced at local institutions and mostly by local authors in relation to West Kalimantan that have helped frame the terms of the discourse. These materials demonstrate that the perspective of insiders and local authors, especially on issues of social change, comprises an important contribution to the local community as it grapples with dynamic transformations. In this same context, it is clear that local values remain an important part of the development of the community of West Kalimantan in general, including in the fields of politics, economy, society and culture. The core of the chapter examines linkages between local values and the consolidation of ethnic consciousness among the Tidayu—Chinese, Dayaks and Malays—as well as other ethnic groups such as the Bugis, Javanese, Madurese and Batak. The Tidayu possess a strong sense of ethnoreligious identity which is interrelated to the more recent emergence of ethnic consciousness and awareness. Religion, ethnicity and identity have indeed become very important factors in influencing social change in West Kalimantan.