My research relates to education about nation in Indonesia, where there has been a successful transition to democracy but the terms of the nation itself and the basis of national cohesion are still under negotiation. In this context, religion has taken on a very public role and has been foregrounded in questions of belonging and identity in this plural society.  This case provides an interesting example of a majority Muslim democracy educating citizens to live in a religiously plural society, where I am viewing education as an arena for debates about the basis of the nation, its incorporation of religion, and varying models for pluralist coexistence.

While the importance of education is typically recognized in attempts to combat extremism and produce tolerant citizens in a plural society, little is understood about the process itself. My research takes an anthropological approach to examine education in local cultural frameworks and gain a better understanding of what democracy and religion mean in a local context, and how the relationship between the two creates particular visions of nation and citizenship. This study has important ramifications for policy initiatives because of its focus on how schools contribute to socializing views of nation and a public ethic for engaging religious diversity.