Tolerance and Inclusivenessin Pluralistic Society: An Introduction

In Indonesia, pluralism is usually described as the diversity of ethnic groups, religions, races, i.e. Batak-Javanese, Muslim-Christian, Chinese-Local People, etc. In the United States and other western countries, ethnicity or race issues are mostly dominated by differences in skin color such as Black-African-American, White, American Indian, Hispanic-Latino, and Asian etc. Differences in skin color, ethnicity, and race are permanent identities that are carried naturally from birth to death. Some identities may change such as language, religion, and gender. This paper is a brief introduction to the meaning of tolerance and inclusiveness as the foundation for peaceful coexistence in a pluralistic society.