Why independence? The instrumental and ideological dimensions of Acehnese nationalism

Examining the separatist dispute between Aceh and Indonesia, David Brown argues that the 'instrumentalist' explanation for separatist nationalism, as a rational response to relative deprivation and exploitation, fails to explain the intransigent element in demands for independence.

Brown argues that such absolutism can be explained in terms of the ideologising impact of social disruption, and relates this instrumentalist-ideological distinction to the interplay of civic and ethnic nationalisms in order to elucidate the nature of Indonesia's national integration problems.