The Philosophy and Essence of Ustomary Law in Southeast Asia: A Comparison of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand
Keywords:
Customary Law, Indonesia, Thailand, Philosophy, VietnamAbstract
Customary law in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand plays a crucial role in preserving social harmony and local cultural values, despite facing challenges from modernization, differences in formal recognition, and pressures from national laws and government policies. This study aims to analyze the philosophy, essence, as well as the similarities and differences in the implementation of customary law in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, reflecting the cultural, social, and spiritual values of each society. The research employs a normative legal method with legislative, historical, comparative, and philosophical approaches to examine the philosophy, essence, and implementation of customary law in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand through the study of legal documents, local traditions, as well as primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials analyzed descriptively and qualitatively. The findings reveal that customary law in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand reflects the cultural, social, and spiritual values of their communities through approaches of collectivity, harmony, and sustainability, particularly in resource management and local conflict resolution. In Indonesia, customary law formally recognized in the constitution emphasizes mutual cooperation and a harmonious relationship with nature, though it often clashes with formal law. Vietnam integrates Confucian values into customary law informally recognized at the community level, but it is frequently overshadowed by centralized state policies. Meanwhile, in Thailand, despite lacking official recognition, customary law rooted in Buddhist values remains respected as a social mechanism, especially among indigenous communities. All three countries face the challenges of modernization and globalization, which threaten the sustainability of customary law as a cultural identity and a means of maintaining social and environmental balance
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