The Politics of Ethnic Identity: The Case of Balinese Migrants in Lampung Province, Indonesia

Lampung is a multicultural region where various ethnic groups in Indonesia can be found and settle in this region, and among them is The Balinese. The Balinese community migrated to Lampung through the transmigration process in 1963 due to the eruption of Mount Agung. One of the Bali migrant communities lives in Bali Sadhar village in Way Kanan Regency of Lampung Province. This Balinese (Bali Sadhar) Community in Lampung lives side by side with other communities that have very different cultural values, such as Lampung, Semende, Ogan, Javanese, and Sundanese. Balinese communities have a strong Hindu cultural identity which can cause them to often conflict with other ethnic groups around, but the Balinese community (Bali Sadhar) in Way Kanan can actually live in harmony with the surrounding communities. This article explains how identity politics is carried out by the Bali Sadhar community in Lampung. The success of identity politics of the Bali Sadhar community is done by redefining the cultural values (Hinduism) they have in accordance with their environmental conditions. As the result, these people are still able to realize their cultural identity and also able to coexist in harmony with the other communities.