The Cross Embers in the Land of Penjor : Ambivalence and the History of Turbulence of Balinese Christianity identity in Untal-Untal Badung Bali 1930s

This paper examines the turbulence of Balinese Christian subaltern identity and their ambivalent attitude in responding to the dynamics of local culture in the fourth decade of the twentieth century. The Balinese Christian community in Untal-Untal Badung are Balinese Hindus who have conducted religious conversions since the first zending activity was carried out in 1930. Amid the strict supervision and prohibition of zending and missie due to the realization of the baliseering policy, religious conversion has caused a cultural polemic. This study uses a qualitative research design with two approaches, namely, history and culture. The historical approach helps to observe the dynamics of zending in Bali in 1931-1935. The cultural approach helps explain the upheaval of values and norms in the structure of society due to conversion. This study yielded two important findings. First, the Christianization of Balinese Hindus is evidence of the double standard attitude of the Dutch Colonial Government. On the one hand, prohibiting Christianity in the name of baliseering, but on the other hand, allowing Christianity to take place. Second, the turbulence of cultural identity, between who deserves to be called Balinese, has placed the Untal-Untal Balinese Christian community as a subaltern group that requires a particular strategy to gain recognition.