Suharto's New Order successfully built a homogeneous Pancasila national identity for Indonesia?- Why would they want to homogenize the culture? o Ethnic tensions and loyalties seen as a threat • Regional rebellions as examples o Especially under Suharto, seen as a way to o Manipulate cultures to fit into a broader politics of nation-building and modernization o Use “ethnic identities” to promote the tourism and development - Appropriation of cultural traditions with the aim of unifying the nation through diversity - Attention to regional versus ethnic differentiation has led to the imposition of standardized regional cultural identities - What is culture? For the purposes of this essay, culture can be defined through the role of identity – the notion of belonging to a distinct ethnic, cultural, or subcultural group (Kidd 2002). When culture is combined with politics, it can face evolution and adaptation to changes in society – Milner 1994 State use of ethnic tourism: “Tourism and ethnicity can be part of a government device to build the identity of its citizens and control how the nation is presented to the outside world" (Picard & Wood 1997; Wilson & Dissanayake 1996). This is true of Indonesia, where the government has emphasized regional, not ethnic, differentiation. The Indonesian government has filtered what it sees fit to include in the construction of both ethnic and national images (Schiller & Martin-Schillor 1997). These are then presented differently to local, national and international audiences. Other determinants that may influence such national identity constructions, such as political issues, should also be taken into account (Tan, McCahon, and Miller 2002). those of higher value) are distinguished from lower cultures in that they contribute to national culture – 193 The Pancasila pillar of "belief in an almighty God" has led to confusion among ethnic minorities as to who would be entitled to the protection and support that the constitution has given authentic agamas. It was necessary to have – a monotheistic religion, with a holy book and a prophet, and its congregation should not be limited to a single ethnic group. The New Order: Unity in Diversity Suharto's New Order struggled to build a strong unified state. armed forces and the oil boom economy, the State managed to «impose its authority and establish its legitimacy on the country»196. State sovereignty was asserted and «national integration became an indisputable reality through a constant centralization of state power» (quoting Drake 1989) 196