The beginning of the third millennium is a difficult time for Indonesians, having faced national disintegration and multidimensional crises in nationhood. Much has to be done to overcome the many problems, including a change in the social order. The bitter experiences of many local communities and social groups have led to awareness for the need to restore a sense of dignity among Indonesians. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of the various dimensions of local societies and cultures is urgently needed, especially in response to increasing regional autonomy in years to come. It must be realized that without such comprehensive understanding of the conditions, potentials and constraints faced by the many segments of society, and without the participation of the local communities themselves, then there will be no real difference in the patterns of policies enacted to overcome crises and improve on the people's welfare. The implications are that many local peoples will be dragged further down into ruin.

This concern has prompted the need to collect the mass of information and research findings from the many parties who have been involved in understanding the cultures of local societies, and the multitude of problems faced in the New Order era of the last three decades. A careful examination must be made on the many factors that are potentially linked to the social order of local communities, their cultures and the constraints they face, as well as issues that must become the focus of more research and further facilitation. The findings would undoubtedly be of great value for the development of anthropology and related disciplines, and for the people who will decide the future course of the nation-especially decision-makers at the regional and national levels, as well as international donor agencies. 

The international symposium followed by the workshop will be held at Hasanuddin University, Makassar, South Sulawesi on August 1 - 4, 2000. Participants are expected to present their findings from research and facilitative actions in the many local communities, and among the many stakeholders, in Sulawesi, Maluku and Irian Jaya.

We await your participation as presenters in the panels listed below. Papers may be:

The event will consist of four panels, namely

The panel will present the latest findings by Indonesianists from all over the world on local resource management strategies implemented not only by the local communities, but by other stakeholders as well. The presentation of papers will be followed by discussions on significant issues for research, policy making and facilitation, and will focus on the question of producing policies for local resource management that will not contribute to environmental degradation. The question becomes more pertinent when policies on regional autonomy are based upon the need to obtain profits, including the need to increase regional income. Thus, an important area for study is the extent to which the policies of regional governments refer to local adaptive strategies and resource management that have been undertaken by local communities, the problems and potentials, the role of stakeholders, and the measures that can be taken to raise their participation in the sustainable management of resources.

The latest findings on the condition of local institutions that exist within communities-whether such institutions are based on kinship, religion or otherwise-will be examined in this panel. For 30 years during the New Order regime, these institutions have been marginalized, modified and de-organized within the context of their integration into the structures of government as stipulated in Legislation no. 5 of 1974. The papers presented are expected to touch on the many problems that have occurred to serve as reference to avoid repeating past mistakes; to call attention to existing potentials; and to discuss how and to what extent the re-empowerment of these institutions can be done to support regional autonomy. All relevant issues must be examined to further research, produce policies and provide facilitation, so that regional autonomy does not ignore the importance of local institutions and cultures in its implementation. The end objective is the establishment of democratic, people-oriented regional governments that have high regard for local cultural values in the pursuit of civil society. 

It is an undeniable fact that the behavior of bureaucrats, rulers and law enforcement officers is one factor that has contributed to the many problems that have led the social order to ruin, including the disorganization, disintegration and demoralization of nationhood. The papers in this panel are expected to examine in detail the many aspects of bureaucratic and military cultures, along with the institutions and behavior of its actors, especially during the New Order regime. The hope is that the ensuing discussions will provide a lesson not to repeat the same mistakes in the future. Furthermore, the discussions may provide guidelines on institutions, behavior and culture that are 'ideal' for a more democratic nationhood wherein basic human rights are highly valued.

Conflicts between ethnic groups and various other social groupings in Indonesia have reached its lowest point in the last two years. The question asked by Indonesians everywhere is: can we still preserve 'unity in diversity'? One conflict after the other has instilled much pessimism over the unity of the nation. Solutions to these conflicts carried out by the government are rarely effective. In fact, conflict resolution and management is an urgent need that must be handled by first being well acquainted with the conflict situations that develop among social and ethnic groups. The papers presented in this panel are expected to raise the many issues deriving from an understanding of group and ethnic relations in various regions (specifically, Sulawesi, Maluku and Irian Jaya for the first year), the causes of conflict, and potentials for realigning group and ethnic relations. A set of recommendations on the necessary policies and steps to be taken to restore harmony among the many social and ethnic groups is one of the end objectives of this symposium.

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