Batak Ethnic Associations in Three Indonesian Cities

Based upon data gathered on Toba Batak ethnic associations in the three Indonesian cities of Medan, Bandung, and Djarkarta we show that the forms of urban social structure are directly related to features of the urban context. The Batak associations are not the same in the three cities and we account for the variation by analyzing the larger urban situation in which the Batak community in each town finds itself. The tracing of connections between social life in the city and features of urban ecology is facilitated by the comparative approach. Further, we demonstrate that despite variations in adaptation to the three cities, the social patterns that emerge are recombinations of the same Batak structural principles of descent, territory, and alliance.