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Colonial Law and Racism: Revealing the Hierarchy of Justice in the Colonial Period in Indonesian History

Unnes Law Journal · Vol. 12 No. 1 (2026) · hlm. 401–436

DOI
10.15294/ulj.v12i1.49651
ISSN
2252-6536
Terbit
2026-10-30
Penerbit
Universitas Negeri Semarang
Bahasa
eng
Lisensi
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0

Abstrak

This study examines how colonial law institutionalized racial hierarchy and structured unequal access to justice in the Dutch East Indies. Employing a qualitative legal-historical approach integrated with Critical Race Theory (CRT), the research analyzes colonial legal instruments, judicial arrangements, and historical scholarship to investigate the relationship between racial classification, legal pluralism, and institutional inequality. The analysis focuses on the Regeringsreglement (RR), Indische Staatsregeling (ISR), Burgerlijk Wetboek (BW), Herzien Inlandsch Reglement (HIR), Wijkenstelsel, Passenstelsel, and Intergentiel Recht. The findings demonstrate that colonial racial classification established differentiated legal statuses that shaped applicable law, judicial jurisdiction, procedural arrangements, and administrative regulation. These mechanisms operated as an interconnected institutional system through which racial hierarchy was legally organized and reproduced. Spatial restrictions further regulated residence and mobility, while inter-group law accommodated relationships across legally differentiated populations without dismantling the broader colonial hierarchy. The study also identifies normative and institutional continuities after Indonesian independence, while recognizing that inherited legal structures underwent significant constitutional and institutional transformations. By integrating legal-historical analysis with CRT, this article conceptualizes the colonial hierarchy of justice as an institutional architecture connecting racial classification, procedural differentiation, spatial governance, and inter-group legal relations. It contributes to scholarship on colonial legal pluralism by demonstrating how the recognition of legal diversity could coexist with unequal institutional authority, while highlighting the historical complexities and continuing challenges of legal decolonization in Indonesia.

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  • Universitas Komputer Indonesia
  • Hasanuddin University
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Rekan penulisOrganisasiArtikel bersama
Syaiful AminAfiliasi tidak diketahui3
Hilda RestiawatiAfiliasi tidak diketahui3
Andromeda AderobenAfiliasi tidak diketahui2
Wildan Insan FauziAfiliasi tidak diketahui2
Thalia Natasya SyariefAfiliasi tidak diketahui1
Ahmad SohabudinAfiliasi tidak diketahui1
Agus MulyanaUniversitas Komputer Indonesia1
Hany NurpratiwiAfiliasi tidak diketahui1
Dadan WildanAfiliasi tidak diketahui1
Annisa'a AmbarnisAfiliasi tidak diketahui1
ZulkarnainAfiliasi tidak diketahui1
Muhammad AmirrudinAfiliasi tidak diketahui1
GunartatiAfiliasi tidak diketahui1
Nurfadilah NurfadilahHasanuddin University1
Riskawati RiskawatiAfiliasi tidak diketahui1
Fahrunnisa FahrunnisaAfiliasi tidak diketahui1
Puan Farah Zahidah Binti Mohd NoorAfiliasi tidak diketahui1

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Sumber metadata: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ulj/oai, pertama di-harvest 6 Nov 2026, terakhir terlihat 8 Nov 2026.
Metadata asli (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Colonial Law and Racism: Revealing the Hierarchy of Justice in the Colonial Period in Indonesian History</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Darmawan, Wawan</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Pangestu, Dimas Aldi</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Tarunasena, Tarunasena</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Che Dahalan, Shakila</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Colonial Law</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Racial Hierarchy</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Dutch East Indies</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Colonial Justice</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Critical Race Theory.</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">This study examines how colonial law institutionalized racial hierarchy and structured unequal access to justice in the Dutch East Indies. Employing a qualitative legal-historical approach integrated with Critical Race Theory (CRT), the research analyzes colonial legal instruments, judicial arrangements, and historical scholarship to investigate the relationship between racial classification, legal pluralism, and institutional inequality. The analysis focuses on the Regeringsreglement (RR), Indische Staatsregeling (ISR), Burgerlijk Wetboek (BW), Herzien Inlandsch Reglement (HIR), Wijkenstelsel, Passenstelsel, and Intergentiel Recht. The findings demonstrate that colonial racial classification established differentiated legal statuses that shaped applicable law, judicial jurisdiction, procedural arrangements, and administrative regulation. These mechanisms operated as an interconnected institutional system through which racial hierarchy was legally organized and reproduced. Spatial restrictions further regulated residence and mobility, while inter-group law accommodated relationships across legally differentiated populations without dismantling the broader colonial hierarchy. The study also identifies normative and institutional continuities after Indonesian independence, while recognizing that inherited legal structures underwent significant constitutional and institutional transformations. By integrating legal-historical analysis with CRT, this article conceptualizes the colonial hierarchy of justice as an institutional architecture connecting racial classification, procedural differentiation, spatial governance, and inter-group legal relations. It contributes to scholarship on colonial legal pluralism by demonstrating how the recognition of legal diversity could coexist with unequal institutional authority, while highlighting the historical complexities and continuing challenges of legal decolonization in Indonesia.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Universitas Negeri Semarang</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2026-10-30</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ulj/article/view/49651</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15294/ulj.v12i1.49651</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Unnes Law Journal; Vol. 12 No. 1 (2026): Transforming Law and Protecting Rights: Contemporary Issues in Legal Reform and Governance; 401-436</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2252-6536</dc:source>
	<dc:source>10.15294/ulj.v12i1</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/ulj/article/view/49651/12049</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2026 Wawan Darmawan, Dimas Aldi Pangestu, Tarunasena Tarunasena, Shakila Che Dahalan (Author)</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0</dc:rights>
</oai_dc:dc>