The assimilation of migrants in Aceh, Indonesia, with special emphasis on cultural and social change
Abstract
This is a study of assimilation of first generation migrants who
live in different areas in Aceh Besar, Indonesia - Saree, a rural area,
and Sukaramai, an urban area. Its purpose is to analyse the assimilation
process within the community in these two areas about which little has
been written.
The model for measurement of assimilation is broken down into three
social processes: acculturation, social assimilation, and marital
assimilation. Comparison is made between random samples of migrants and
Acehnese residing in the same community. Acculturation is measured in
terms of cultural variables - language, tools, folklore and arts, while
social assimilation reflects the participation of the migrants in the less
formal organizations of the Acehnese community and friendship patterns
between migrants and non-migrants. Marital assimilation is defined as the
percentage of intermarriage between migrants and the Acehnese.
The study demonstrates that acculturation is higher for migrants
than for the Acehnese. The social assimilation of migrants is higher than
their acculturation. The assimilation of migrants is higher in the urban
sample than the rural one. The duration of residence is the only variable
positively correlated with the assimilation of the migrants in the rural
area. The association between assimilation and the level of education of
the migrant was insignificant.