THE MULTIPLICITY OF ETHNIC IDENTITIES: INDONESIANS IN MELBOURNE

Abstract

This research aims to demonstrate how the Indonesian migrants in Melbourne
construct their Indonesian identity based on the theoretical perspective of George
Herbert Mead, Erving Goffman, and Fredrik Barth. To collect the data the
researcher used the qualitative research method composed of participant
observation and in-depth interviews. The quota sampling and the snowball
sampling were carried out to select the key informants, that is, the Indonesian
migrants who come from various socio-cultural backgrounds, most of them being
Malay Indonesians who have lived in Australia for a long time. The results of the
research indicate that the Indonesian identity in Melbourne is composed of
several categories, each of which having its respective boundary. Thus, ethnic
identity is dynamic and fluid to fit a particular situation. Some of the subjects
performed impression management and passing in their interaction with others.
Key words : Ethnic boundary, ethnic category, impression management, passing