CONTESTING THE POLITICS OF IDENTITY

The world has unluckly turned to the reverse expectation from the promise of democracy and progress which eventually foster solidarity among humankind. Instead, boaderless society due to geo-political cooperations and virtual connections become political contetation of identity. Nationalism such as Indonesia where pluralism and multi-culturalism as a nerve of the nation also suffer from such an agony. The politics of identity contested along with the resurface of religious population and the infiltration of the trans-national ideology. It is quite shocking that nowdays the flight on politics of identity is alarming albeit the promise of democracy in accommodating different identities in equal manner as reflected in the concept of modern nationalism and citizenship which ensure justice for all regardless of those differences. Politics of identity is the mechanism in managing the socio-cultural differences in modern nation state. The contestation becoming more obvious in this globalization era where identity, be personal or national identity, face unprecedented preassure internally and externally. Political Identity is about the mutual trust and interdependent among the identity holders in its multiple instances. For some people, national identity is considered as an achieved identity and constantly being contested to the ascribed identities of religion, race and ethnicity. Religious community, for instrance, with no exception of the Muslim, are largely in the constant struggle of negotiating between their religious and national identities.