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Antropologi Indonesia

Abstract

In common understanding, truth is inseparable from plausibility. This particular notion had influenced a strand of thinking in anthropology as well. This is evident from the inclination of some notable scholars to draw parallel comparisons between myth-making and scientific inquiry or depict their subject as a rational being predisposed toward overcoming contradictions. Reflecting on the myths of origin of the Butonese people in Seram Island and the notion of Indonesia as ancient civilization, I would like to propose that in social context the foundation of historical truths is never simply their coherence or plausibility but also their benefit in exalting or defending the prestige of a particular collectivity among the others. The comparison carried in this paper shows that this tendency, interestingly, applies to both ethnic and national communities. Their historical truths tend to be inextricable from political claims articulated and rearticulated amidst contestations with other actors in their social life. Johan Huizinga’s theory of play also found to be a sound framework in depicting this situation.

References

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