Between recognition and control: law, land, and the contradiction of Papua’s Special Autonomy

This research aims to understand how Special Autonomy has become a space of contradiction between recognition and control in Papua. Through research in Jakarta and Sorong, I explore how laws that promise to provide recognition and respect for indigenous Papuans have instead resulted in state power and elite interests. Using legal theory complemented by Class Relations Theory, I examine how the special autonomy law shapes social relations between the state, elites, and society. I employ Qualitative Case-Based Methodology and Extended Case Methodology to understand the real dynamics of Special Autonomy in the context of the state and indigenous communities and expand my theory through fieldwork in Jakarta and Papua. This study demonstrates that Special Autonomy in Papua is not a neutral legal entity and has given rise to a new bureaucratic class at the local level that mediates relations between the state and society and enables indigenous communities to make claims through condemnation and demands against the state. Ultimately, through this research, I encourage a rethinking of the meaning of Special Autonomy, not merely as a legal entity, but as a space for control and recognition, as well as resistance to uphold justice for indigenous Papuans.