Interpreting Customary Justice in the Resolution of Digital Land Disputes in Postcolonial Societies

Digital transformation in land systems in postcolonial countries challenges the legitimacy and effectiveness of customary justice in land dispute resolution. This qualitative juridical-sociological case study involved 15 key informants indigenous leaders, land officials, and residents in three Indonesian indigenous communities. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, field observations, and analysis of legal documents and digital maps, then examined using thematic analysis and source triangulation. Customary justice remains central in dispute resolution but faces normative and technological tensions due to misalignment with national land digitalization. Some socially recognized decisions lack legal force in the digital registration system, creating legitimacy dualism. Contextual integration between customary law and formal digital systems is essential to prevent exclusion of indigenous rights in the digital era.