Making Sense of Discourse on Pluralism in Indonesia

Abstract

Pluralism is potential to explain why small groups within a larger society maintain their unique cultural identities. However this issue is relatively under explored. This paper aims to address how pluralism in Indonesia is discussed in social media. The data for this study are retrieved from a number of resources which discuss the issue of pluralism in contemporary Indonesia in media. The analysis and the interpretation of the data refer to the Theory of Register put forward in Systemic Functional Linguistics perspectives. Findings and discussion suggest that the existence of multiple cultural traditions within a single country is in pro and con. It is arguable why the idea that several values may be equally correct and yet in conflict with each other.