Land and authority: the state and the village in Pasir, East Kalimantan

Abstract

Nearly five years after the implementation of administrative decentralisation in Indonesia, popular influence on governance has increased, especially at the kabupaten (district) level, where 'local ways' have become a hot topic in political discourse. But what are local ways and to whom do they belong? Can they be reconciled with national law? Consider land tenure, where district regulations and grassroots practice often differ: in Pasir, government and society are looking to tradition, national law and Pasir identity to redefine authority over land.