Indigenous Dialectics: The Relationship Between the State and Indigeneity in Indonesia

In Indigenous Dialectics, Timo Duile explores the history of indigeneity as a political force in Indonesia, considering how it came into existence in relation to the state and political economy. Duile sheds light on indigeneity in the national context and analyzes how it developed dialectically from late colonialism to the post-reformasi era in its relation to the state.

Indigenous Dialectics focuses on the process of recognition of Indigenous communities in South Sulawesi, especially in the Duri highlands. The Duri ethnic group lives in the regency of Enrekang, one of the first regencies in Indonesia to adopt a local regulation (peraturan daerah) on the recognition of Indigenous communities. Through ethnographic analysis, Duile demonstrates that indigeneity as an ideology comes into existence through its negation and sublation of and by the state. Ultimately, it is suggested that indigeneity as an identity and concept is both an expression and critique of political, historical, and economic circumstances.

© 2026 Southeast Asia Program Publications (Ebook): 9781501784910

Release date

Ebook: 15 January 2026