Indonesia has increasingly become a favorite “transit space” for refugees and asylum seekers from Asian and African countries (Afghanistan, Somalia, Myanmar, Iran, Ethiopia, etc). Among these populations, there are young people who made solitary journeys to find humanitarian protection. Without an adequate national legal framework, refugees’ basic rights in Indonesia are compromised as they have no right to work, have limited access to education, and face chronic uncertainty while waiting for resettlement. But, the youths are not passive victims! Young refugees have been making connections and collaborations with locals. Here, religion has played an important part in both facilitating and impeding their social integration with locals. In this talk, Realisa will discuss various ways of refugee youths in contemplating on their religious identity and navigate Indonesia’s complex religious sphere.
Realisa D Masardi is a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology, UGM. Realisa completed her doctoral degree at the Department of Anthropology, University of Amsterdam in 2021, and postdoctoral program in the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2023. Her research interest focuses on the issue of children and young people in migrant and refugee communities. Her dissertation focuses on the social navigations of independent young refugees who are transiting in Indonesia.