Assimilation of Arab descendants in Indonesia in the process of national integration

Abstract

This article is intended to examine the existence and role of people of Arab descent in Indonesia. Arab descendants, as part of the population formed from a long migration process, are part of Indonesian society. There is a dynamic in the process of unification with the native Indonesian population, which is influenced by the conditions and political situation that occur. This paper was developed through the historical research methodology, namely heuristics, criticism, interpretation, and historiography. This study is based on the importance of building a complete reconstruction of the role of all societal groups in Indonesian history. So far, existing studies have focused more on overseas Chinese or Chinese. In contrast, studies on other Peranakan groups, in this case Arabs, have rarely been the focus of study in history textbooks. This study attempts to examine, examine, and describe the role of Arab descendants in Indonesian history and how efforts were made in the integration process toward a complete identity as part of Indonesian citizens.