Plural Society: Interaction Between the Local Community and Foreign Workers in Bayah, Lebak Regency, Indonesia

Abstract

This article analyzes the interaction of local communities with foreign workers in the Lebak Regency, especially in the Bayah District. Bayah was chosen as the locus of the study because it is the location of several large companies that employ foreigners. The implication is that diverse identities in the socio-political institutions coexist, namely residents and foreign workers. This research considers whether the relationships built are conducive to forming social integration or can trigger friction between communities so that the relationships are conflictual. To answer this, the concepts of plural society and multiculturalism and several conflict theories were used as analytical tools. The results showed that the interaction patterns of local communities and foreign workers exist exclusively for each other. It is difficult to create spaces for interaction between communities with different identities, so this can trigger conflict and negative sentiments towards foreign workers, the majority of whom are from China. The consequence is that the interactions that are formed show ‘mixed but not combined’ – to borrow the phrasing of J.S Furnivall, which is a condition of people with diverse identities living side by side but not blending into one socio-political unit, leading to the potential for conflict.
 Keywords: plural society, conflict, foreign workers, local community