Contested memories and the production of space in a post-conflict city: ambon between tolerance and trauma

After experiencing protracted communal violence since 1999, Ambon is currently considered one of the most tolerant cities in Indonesia. How did a city manage to transform from a conflict-ridden place into a model of religious tolerance? This study identifies the strategies and challenges in peacebuilding efforts in Ambon by focusing on the role of collective memory and its influence on the city’s spatial reconstruction. Research on collective memory centres mainly on the monumental spaces made by state authorities. In contrast, this chapter looks at the dominant narrative that influences governmental intervention, community initiatives, and residents’ perceptions of spatial structure, symbolic space, and spatial practice. The analysis is based on interviews, field observation, government publications, and secondary sources. The findings reveal the centrality of the orang basudara (brotherhood) ideal that existed since the colonial period and the revival of the traditional inter-village alliances of pela gandong as the foundation for restoring peace and reconstructing Ambon. However, this idea and practice have not been entirely successful in ending boundary-making and inter-group avoidance due to the residents’ lingering trauma, fear, and distrust. Overall, the study emphasises the traditional institution as a source of peacebuilding toolkits and the crucial role of grassroots action.