Author: Adam, Jeroen

Source: South East Asia Research, Volume 16, Number 3, November 2008 , pp. 461-479(19)

Publisher: IP Publishing Ltd

Abstract:

This article illustrates how a religious conflict that started in 1999 on the island of Ambon in combination with an overall Indonesian financial crisis brought about the downward social mobility of many autochthonous Ambonese. In particular, the Ambonese employed in formal waged labour were forced to take up income generation strategies in insecure, informal economic sectors, which before the conflict had been dominated by the lower-class Muslim migrant community. This process was further encouraged by the spatial transformation during which these Muslim migrants became locked up in Muslim areas and Christian Ambonese took over their businesses in the Christian parts of the island. In a similar vein, the flight of many ethnic migrants to places outside Ambon stimulated Ambonese Muslims to penetrate these informal economic sectors in the Muslim parts of the island. As autochthonous Ambonese do not want to leave these jobs even since the violence has ended, competition at the lower-class bazaar level of the economy has vigorously intensified.

Keywords: CONFLICT; INFORMAL ECONOMY; DOWNWARD SOCIAL MOBILITY; PRESTIGE; AMBON

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5367/000000008787133436

Publication date: 2008-11-01

More about this publication?

• South East Asia Research publishes articles based on original research or fieldwork on all aspects of South East Asia within the disciplines of archaeology, art history, economics, geography, history, language and literature, law, music, political science, social anthropology and religious studies. This peer-reviewed journal is published four times per year by IP Publishing in cooperation with the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). SOAS is the leading centre in this field in Europe and one of the most prestigious centres of South East Asian Studies in the world.

• Subscribe to this Title
• ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Related content

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: History ,  Political Science
• By this author: Adam, Jeroen

Website © Publishing Technology. Article copyright remains with the publisher, society or author(s) as specified within the article.

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Information for advertisers