Anxious Millenarians: Envisioning the end in post-conflict Maluku

Abstract

This article explores contemporary millenarian expectations among the Muslim Buton in Maluku and their struggle to navigate a precarious post-conflict coexistence. As a marginalised ethnic group, excluded from land ownership and the adat structure, the Buton hold on to narratives about the revelation of their true history. These narratives, woven into their everyday conversations and practices, offer a promise of a better and more respected future. However, such imagery has become morally troubling for some, as visions of the upturned social order have merged with memories of recent traumatic violence. While these visions reflect intergroup relations fraught with tension and competition, they are at odds with the shared sentiment among Maluku communities who, still shaped by the trauma of recent ethno-religious conflict, actively try to suppress any imaginings of renewed inter-group violence.