The fluidity of nationalistic and ethnic aspirations in Aceh CHANINTIRA NA THALANG Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand and University of Bristol, UK ABSTRACT. Peace negotiations between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have resulted in the signing of the Memorandum of Under- standing (MoU) ultimately ending a three-decade-long struggle for independence. Through a historical comparative analysis, this article explores the changing nature of Acehnese nationalism. It explores how Acehnese ethnicity and nationalism are constructed and how they have transformed over the decades in conflict with the Indonesian government. Acehnese ethnicity and nationalism, which are political in nature and ethnic in character, have ideologically shifted throughout time. Historical junctures and myths were utilised to legitimise these changing ideological goals. Despite the transformation of Acehnese nationalism and consequent changes in its ideological basis, a strong Acehnese identity still remains a constant. KEY WORDS: Aceh; Acehnese nationalism; constructing identity; Indonesia. Introduction The aim of this article is to illustrate that Acehnese nationalism is fluid and to chart its changing trajectory since the late nineteenth century. I show that this fluidity is best understood as changes in the ideological expression of Acehnese nationalism by elite leaders rather than diminished, or heightened, mass sentiments. Although the ideological basis of nationalism fluctuates, the sense of national identity is not necessarily weak. I also stress that hazy and vague definitions of what constitutes identity do not necessarily make the Nations and Nationalism 15 (2), 2009, 319–339. r The authors 2009. Journal compilation r ASEN/Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2009 For the sake of consistency, this article will use the Indonesian spelling of Aceh. In some original texts included in this article, the authors have preferred the nineteenth-century English version of Aceheh. Other ways of spelling include Atjeh which is the Dutch version. As far as possible, I have also tried to use a standard form of the 1972 transliteration in the Indonesian and Malay languages in my study. Unless the old spelling is preferred in the original text, this study follows the 1972 standardised spelling. The author thanks Adam Burke, Duncan McCargo, Andrew Wyatt, Nelson Vaz and two anonymous reviewers for their comments.