‘People of the barracks’: Meta-beliefs of a migrant community in West Kalimantan, Indonesia

Literature discussing contents of meta-beliefs, or beliefs about other beliefs, and what effects they have on intergroup relationships, specifically among disadvantaged groups are rare. Our study aims to explore meta-beliefs among the resettled Sambas Madurese community, in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, who were affected by the 1999 Sambas Conflict. We adopted an ethnographic approach, with a three-month live-in duration, conducting interviews, casual conversations, and taking part in community activities. Our findings reveal two important contents of meta-belief held by the Sambas Madurese migrants: ‘people of the barracks’, and ‘evil and criminal’. As a disadvantaged group, the Sambas Madurese resort to more covert and subtle forms of resistance, mainly through reappropriation and daily life changes to disprove meta-beliefs. Here, reappropriation of those negative meta-beliefs, mainly linked to moral superiority, is employed. It is observed that the contents of meta-belief go beyond cognitive aspects, including strong emotive components and behavioral responses. Our study hopes to contribute to a discussion on intergroup relationships among host and disadvantaged migrant communities from ethnic conflict backgrounds. © The Author(s) 2024.