The Politics of Recognition and Differentiated Citizenship Among in the O'hongana Manyawa Indigenous Community in East Halmahera

Abstract

This study examines the formation of Indigenous citizenship among the Tobelo Dalam community in East Halmahera amid the dominance of extractivism that threatens their living spaces. Drawing on the perspectives of the politics of recognition and differentiated citizenship, recognition is positioned as a corrective prerequisite for addressing the structural disadvantages experienced by minority groups, particularly through the protection of collective territorial rights and the recognition of cultural heritage as the foundation of Indigenous citizenship.This study employs a qualitative case study approach, utilizing participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and documentary analysis. The collected data were analyzed through the processes of data reduction, data presentation, and verification. The findings demonstrate that the formal inclusion of the Tobelo Dalam Indigenous community has taken place through resettlement programs, civil registration, electoral participation, and limited involvement in local public offices. However, such recognition remains partial, as increased administrative visibility has not been accompanied by secure access to basic rights, including clean water and infrastructure, while the shrinking of forest-based living spaces continues without adequate protection mechanisms. These conditions reveal a paradox of citizenship, characterized by a tension between formal registration and substantive exclusion, in which the state is present administratively but remains ineffective in fulfilling its protective function. This selectivity is reflected in the asymmetry of legal certainty, where the recognition of Indigenous territories remains limited to the registration stage, whereas the designation of mining concession areas is established definitively—a condition conceptualized in this study as pseudo-integration. The study recommends a reorientation of development policies and the strengthening of citizenship education to ensure that administrative inclusion is meaningfully connected to the restoration of territorial rights.