IKN, Indigeneity and Indonesia: Patterning Dynamics between Adat People and Urban Development

Abstract

This paper inspects the roots of, and resulting patterns in, Indonesia’s parallel relationships with development and indigenous communities. Indonesia’s most current urban project, Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN), illustrates contemporary concerns for marginalised communities’ human rights during urban development. Planned to overtake Jakarta as the national capital, the project is designated for construction in East Kalimantan, Borneo. IKN is promoted as exemplary of Indonesia’s modern-day competence—however, this has not been uncontroversial. Indigenous Balik people have expressed concerns surrounding their autonomy over their customary rights during the development. Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN), in contrast, insist that development procedures do consult community members to integrate indigenous knowledge. The conflicting claims have been present as early as IKN’s announcement, becoming more pertinent as its August 2024 inauguration nears. These contradictions are complexed by the patterns that precede it, the narratives behind it, and the practices that enable new contradictions to emerge. The question overarching this paper is: When Indonesian urban development is promoted as inclusive and benefiting the whole nation, how does indigeneity fit into the narrative? This thesis inspects contradicting claims through concepts of postcolonial and urban development theories. Through these lenses, it patterns Indonesian approaches to nationalist urbanism since its postcolonial emancipation, and applies these to contemporary and future practice.