| This research aims to investigate the relationship between intermediate classes, ethnic segmentation and the local state in the provincial capital of East Nusa Tenggara, Kupang, on the island of Timor. Kupang is a small provincial town of approximately 220,000 inhabitants with a poor agrarian hinterland. It is an administrative and migrant town and these two features structure social relationships. The stagnant economy of West Timor is dominated by the state. Consequently, employment in state institutions and access to state resources are important factors that give shape to social relationships. The competition among the intermediate classes for access to economic and political resources is thus framed in a dynamic set of ethnic divisions and through religious institutions, which have gained strength after decentralization and regional autonomy as been set in motion. |
