Negotiating Social Cohesion in Multicultural Urban Indonesia: Interaction and Adaptation

Syamsidar Syamsidar; Rusdiah Rusdiah; Awaluddin Syamsu; Wahyuni Wahyuni

doi:10.66815/ejecs/2947

Authors

Syamsidar Syamsidar Universitas Muslim Indonesia https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8431-8364
Rusdiah Rusdiah Universitas Muslim Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3492-4765
Awaluddin Syamsu Southern Illinois University https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6618-9924
Wahyuni Wahyuni Universitas Muslim Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6561-2495

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66815/ejecs/2947

Keywords:

Intercultural communication, Social adaptation, Social cohesion, Community engagement, Multicultural cities

Abstract

Continuous interactions among diverse ethnic and cultural groups shape multicultural cities. Social cohesion is thus a negotiated and relational outcome. This study conceptualizes cohesion as emerging from everyday interaction and adaptive social practices, rather than as a product of formal integration. It examines the roles of intercultural communication and social adaptation in shaping social cohesion and ethnic relations in an urban Indonesian context. Using survey data from 206 residents in Makassar, Indonesia, the study employs PLS-SEM to analyse relationships among intercultural communication, social adaptation, social cohesion, and community-based engagement. The model explains 72.9% of the variance in social cohesion and 82.7% of the variance in community-based engagement, indicating strong explanatory capacity. Intercultural communication is positively associated with both social cohesion and community engagement, while social adaptation demonstrates a substantially stronger association with social cohesion. This highlights the central role of adaptation in embedding intercultural experiences in shared norms over time. The results reveal differentiated pathways linking intercultural processes to engagement. Social cohesion mediates the relationship between social adaptation and community engagement, but does not mediate the relationship between intercultural communication and engagement. This finding indicates that participation may emerge through both pragmatic interactional coordination and cohesion-based relational processes. Social cohesion functions as a contingent rather than universal mediating mechanism, distinguishing between interactional effectiveness and longer-term adaptive integration in multicultural urban contexts. These findings provide a refined process-oriented framework for understanding how multicultural coexistence can be sustained through differentiated interactional and adaptive mechanisms.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

👁 Abstract Views: 1,000📥 PDF Downloads: 1

Author Biographies

Syamsidar Syamsidar, Universitas Muslim Indonesia

is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Literature at Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Indonesia. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, gender and ethnic studies, applied linguistics, and sociology. She is actively involved in scholarly activities and is a member of several professional associations in applied linguistics.

Rusdiah Rusdiah, Universitas Muslim Indonesia

is an Associate Professor and currently serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Literature at Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Indonesia. Her research focuses on linguistics, English education, and applied linguistics. She is actively engaged in academic leadership and contributes to national and professional associations in applied linguistics.

Awaluddin Syamsu, Southern Illinois University

is a lecturer and Deputy Dean at the Faculty of English Literature, Universitas Muslim Indonesia. He is also a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction at the School of Education, Southern Illinois University, USA. His research interests include English language education, curriculum development, and AI-supported learning in EFL contexts.

Wahyuni Wahyuni, Universitas Muslim Indonesia

is a lecturer at the Faculty of English Literature, Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Makassar, Indonesia. Her research interests focus on English language education, EFL pedagogy, and applied linguistics. She has published in the field of English education and is actively involved in academic journal management.

References

Alesina, A., & La Ferrara, E. (2005). Ethnic diversity and economic performance. Journal of Economic Literature, 43(3), 762–800. https://doi.org/10.1257/002205105774431243 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1257/002205105774431243

Allen, K., Kern, M. L., Rozek, C. S., McInerney, D. M., & Slavich, G. M. (2021). Belonging: Conceptual issues and integrative framework. Australian Journal of Psychology, 73(1), 87–102. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2021.1883409 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2021.1883409

Allwood, J. (2023). A model of intercultural communication revisited. In J. Allwood (Ed.), Intercultural communication. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110074 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110074

Berry, J. W. (2023). Acculturation and adaptation revisited. Applied Psychology, 72(2), 387–412. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12389 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12389

Beugelsdijk, S., & Klasing, M. J. (2016). Diversity and trust: The role of shared values. Journal of Comparative Economics, 44(3), 522–540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2015.10.014 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2015.10.014

Bibi, F., & Hamida, L. (2024). Communication accommodation among international students in Indonesia. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 11(1), Article 2397188. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2024.2397188 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2024.2397188

Bilven, B., Nyúl, B., & Kende, A. (2022). Exclusive victimhood and reconciliation among native and Chinese Indonesians. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 91, 262–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2022.10.011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2022.10.011

Bolaji, S., & Imonitie, O. (2025). The Lived-Experiences of African Migrant Professionals in Diverse Workplaces in Australia. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 12(3), 53–70. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/236 DOI: https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/2362

Brubaker, R. (2006). Ethnicity without groups. Harvard University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1nnwhvg

Cormoș, V. C. (2022). Adaptation, assimilation, and integration in migration contexts. Sustainability, 14(16), 10296. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610296 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610296

David, R., Nigoti, U., & Singh, S. (2024). Intercultural communication competence and employee engagement. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 105, 102098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2024.102098 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2024.102098

Dervin, F., & Gross, Z. (2023). Interculturality, reflexivity, and social relations. Multicultural Education Review, 15(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/2005615X.2023.2171234

Dielini, M., Portera, A., Nesterova, M., & Milani, M. (2022). Social cohesion in intercultural educational communities. Skhid, 3(2), 40–48. https://doi.org/10.21847/1728-9343.2022.3(2).263601 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21847/1728-9343.2022.3(2).263601

Döbler, T., & Carbon, C. C. (2023). Cultural flexibility and social adaptation. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1189457. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1189457

Foo, C. (2023). ‘If Our Love Existed in Chinese Tense’: Temporal Tensions in Xiaolu Guo’s A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers. Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics, 7(2), Article 30. https://doi.org/10.20897/femenc/13558 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20897/femenc/13558

Guo, W. (2025). Conflict resolution in intercultural communication. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), Article 4391. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04391-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04391-0

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2021). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80519-7

Harwood, J. (2020). Social identity theory. In J. Van den Bulck (Ed.), The international encyclopedia of media psychology. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119011071.iemp0153 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119011071.iemp0153

Holliday, A. (2022). Cultural complexity and intercultural communication. Language and Intercultural Communication, 22(4), 389–403. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2022.2109561

Hoon, C. (2017). Putting religion into multiculturalism: Conceptualizing religious multiculturalism in Indonesia. Asian Studies Review, 41(3), 476–493. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2017.1334761 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2017.1334761

Huff, S. T., Hanek, K. J., Lee, F., & Brannen, M. Y. (2021). Cultural adaptation and historical heterogeneity. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 85, 141–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2021.09.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2021.09.008

Kaya, Y. (2014). Determining the pre-service teachers’ awareness, knowledge and competency about multicultural education. Asian Journal of Instruction, 2(1(ÖZEL)), 102–115. https://doi.org/10.20897/apjes/16946 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20897/apjes/16946

Kecskes, I. (2023). Intercultural communication and language. In Perspectives in pragmatics, philosophy & psychology. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30160-5_3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30160-5_3

Luo, J., Jian, I. Y., Yung, E. H. K., Chan, E. H. W., & Chen, W. (2023). Social cohesion in cultural contexts. Current Issues in Tourism, 27(15), 2499–2515. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2023.2235878 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2023.2235878

Mansouri, F., & Elias, A. (2021). The intercultural dialogue index. Social Indicators Research, 155(2), 411–453. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-021-02616-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-021-02616-8

Moustakas, L. (2023). Social cohesion: Definitions and consequences. Encyclopedia, 3(3), 1028–1037. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia3030075 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia3030075

Nesterova, Y., & Kim, E. A. (2024). Peace as social cohesion. Peace Review, 36(3), 531–544. https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2024.2377773 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2024.2377773

Neumann, R., Pfetsch, B., Hutter, S., Koschut, S., Schieferdecker, D., & Specht, J. (2023). Rhetoric of solidarity and social cohesion. Social Indicators Research, 169(3), 863–882. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-023-03163-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-023-03163-0

Oviedo-Berrocal, L., Ortiz-Padilla, M., Zwierewicz, M., Vargas-Arteaga, J., & Gómez-García, M. (2026). STEM+intercultural: Integrating STEM education with indigenous ancestral knowledge, traditional knowledge, and intercultural contexts. A systematic literature review. European Journal of STEM Education, 11(1), Article 25. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/18476 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/18476

Pattipeilhy, S. C. H., & Paramasatya, S. (2022). Ethnic scapegoating and Indonesian-Chinese relations. In Proceedings of the ICISPE Conference. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.14-9-2021.2321412 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.14-9-2021.2321412

Piller, I. (2021). Intercultural communication: A critical introduction (2nd ed.). Edinburgh University Press.

Portes, A., & Vickstrom, E. (2011). Diversity, social capital, and cohesion. Annual Review of Sociology, 37(1), 461–479. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-081309-150022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-081309-150022

Putnam, R. D. (2007). E pluribus unum: Diversity and community in the twenty-first century. Scandinavian Political Studies, 30(2), 137–174. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9477.2007.00176.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9477.2007.00176.x

Ricks, J. I. (2022). Ethnic language and audience opinion in Southeast Asia. Journal of East Asian Studies, 22(3), 457–479. https://doi.org/10.1017/jea.2022.20 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/jea.2022.20

Schiefer, D., & van der Noll, J. (2017). The essentials of social cohesion: A literature review. Social Indicators Research, 132(2), 579–603. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-016-1314-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-016-1314-5

Schefers, S. E. (2026). Exploring intersectionality in identity research in multicultural education: Reflecting on the past to forge a more equitable future. Asia Pacific Journal of Education and Society, 14(1), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.20897/apjes/17906 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20897/apjes/17906

Spencer-Oatey, H., & Franklin, P. (2022). What is intercultural communication? Language and Intercultural Communication, 22(3), 267–282. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2022.2038432

Stahl, G. K., & Maznevski, M. L. (2021). Cultural diversity in teams. Journal of International Business Studies, 52(1), 4–22. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-020-00389-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-020-00389-9

Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (2004). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In J. T. Jost & J. Sidanius (Eds.), Political psychology: Key readings (pp. 276–293). Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203505984-16 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203505984-16

Uslaner, E. M. (2002). The moral foundations of trust. Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.824504

Verkuyten, M. (2018). The social psychology of ethnic identity. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315109527

Ward, C., Szabó, Á., & Stuart, J. (2021). Cultural adaptation and social cohesion. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 84, 60–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2021.07.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2021.07.002

Watters, S. M., Ward, C., & Stuart, J. (2020). Multiculturalism and social cohesion. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 75, 82–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2020.02.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2020.02.001

Wimmer, A. (2013). Ethnic boundary making. Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199927371.001.0001

Wise, A., & Velayutham, S. (2009). Everyday multiculturalism. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230244474

Yang, C., Biemans, H., & Liu, J. (2025). Intercultural communication challenges of Chinese students. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v25i1.993 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v25i1.993

Yoon, E., Langrehr, K., & Ong, L. Z. (2023). Intercultural competence and social connectedness. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 52(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2022.2144507

Yuval-Davis, N. (2011). The politics of belonging: Intersectional contestations. Sage. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446251041