The Production and Maintenance of Protracted Statelessness: An Analysis of the Language and Practice of the Nationality Law in Thailand and Brunei Darussalam

In theory, nationality law that stipulates criteria and requirements for the granting of citizenship should address racial or ethnic division and the distinction between immigrant and indigene status. Instead, modern citizenship contradicts this, and conversely becomes an apparatus for state procedures of exclusion. In this article, I have focused on and assessed the language of seclusion and the practice of division found in the nationality law of Thailand and Brunei. I argue that the phenomenon of protracted statelessness is not happening incidentally, but rather deliberately produced through the language and practice of nationality law. The study concludes by highlighting two main factors that contribute to the increasing number of protracted stateless persons: first, the explicit and implicit language of exclusion in the law that becomes institutionalized practice; second, the opaqueness of the language used can facilitate practices that are not aligned with the law. This study sheds light on the nature of language and practice found in nationality law – a factor that has attracted little attention from relevant scholars, yet it is inherent in the production and maintenance of protracted statelessness in Thailand and Brunei Darussalam. Keywords: Brunei Darussalam, Language and practice, Nationality law, protracted statelessness, Thailand

‘If I Speak, They Will Kill Me, to Remain Silent Is to Die’: Poetry of resistance in General Zia's Pakistan (1977–88)

The ethnic and sectarian divisions that were part of General Zia's (1977–88) political strategies in Pakistan were resisted not only through street protest and political opposition, but also in the realm of culture. In particular, poetry was a vehicle through which to express discontent as well as to mobilize the population. By offering an analysis of a number of poems and the biographies of the political poets who wrote them, this article offers another perspective on the question of resistance in this period of Pakistan's history. Whilst the outcome of the policy of ethnic division was to divide the struggle against General Zia into a broad anti-Punjab front, this article highlights how it was class division and the securing of elite consent that were the major achievements of the Zia regime. In contrast to previous research, we highlight how resistance came from all groups in Pakistan as reflected in the poetry and literature of the time.

DARFUR CONFLICT BEYOND ETHNIC DIVISION: A POLITICO-ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE

The Darfur crisis, dwell in the western territory of Sudan, a civil war that delineates upon the grave state of affairs. Since 2003, the Darfur region has been reported dislocated or migrated, providing the base argument to the world and the UN, referring genocide. Although establishing the insurgency distinctiveness, the crisis in the Darfur region has been generally referred to as tribal ethnic clashes between African inhabitants and Arab intruders. A justification that appears to be unsuccessful to elucidates the intricate situation belying the conflicting situation. This research aimed at two main contributing aspects – the politicoeconomic reasons for the crisis. Most significant, in investigating the conflict situation in Darfur with an approach that leads beyond the ethnic divide justification, it appears probable to discover issues, such as politico-economic reasons, imperative to address the issue in order to attain stability in Sudan.

GATHER THE SCATTERED IN KAILI LAND: Pluralism, Religiosity, and Integration of Central Sulawesi Society

<p><strong>Abstract:</strong> Based on the ethnic division of the population, Central Sulawesi Province consists of 12 ethnics groups “original,” and many tribal immigrants such as Bugis, Makassar, Java, Bali, and other tribes that have implications for the differentiation of indigenous communities and immigrant communities. The diversity of the tribes is also accompanied by the diversity of their historical background, religion, and culture which might cause friction one another. Based on the existing historical reality, it is showed that the Central Sulawesi region is often hit by ethnic, economic, and religious violences with different intensity. If the diversity among the people of Central Sulawesi is not properly managed, it can lead to disintegration. This article would identify the existence of the plural society in Central Sulawesi and try to formulate the integration efforts of the people of Central Sulawesi.</p><p><strong>Abstrak: Mengumpul yang Berserak: Pluralisme, Religiositas, dan Integrasi Masyarakat Sulawesi Tengah</strong>. Berdasarkan pembagian etnis penduduk, Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah terdiri atas dari 12 etnis asli, dan banyak juga suku pendatang seperti Suku Bugis, Makassar, Jawa, dan Bali yang berimplikasi pada diferensiasi masyarakat asli dan masyarakat pendatang yang berpotensi menimbulkan gesekan antara satu dengan lainnya. Realitas historis menunjukkan bahwa wilayah Sulawesi Tengah sering dilanda kekerasan bermotif etnis, ekonomi dan agama dengan intensitas yang berbeda-beda. Keanekaragaman pada masyarakat Sulawesi Tengah, apabila tidak ditata dengan baik dapat mengakibatkan disintegrasi. Tulisan bertujuan menganalisis keberadaan masyarakat plural Sulawesi Tengah dan mencoba merumuskan upaya integrasi masyarakatnya.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> pluralism, religiosity, Central Sulawesi, integration</p>