Public sphere contestation: configuration of political Islam in contemporary Indonesia

• Main Author: Zuly Qodir
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IAIN Salatiga 2011-06-01
• Series: Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies
• Subjects: Indonesian Islam; Variant; Public Sphere; Contestation
• Online Access: http://ijims.iainsalatiga.ac.id/index.php/ijims/article/view/50

Argument in this paper draws upon Habermasian understanding of the distinction between private and public sphere. Public sphere is understood as open space that various social and cultural forces seek to define and occupy by ways of rational interests and public reason. Such attempts take place on daily basis and taken by groups of different backgrounds and interests. Private sphere, in contrast, is conceived of as having domestic or individual characteristics and, more or less, non-political. It is within this framework that the continuing presence of multiple variants of political Islam in Indonesia has been a manifestation of contestation over public sphere. Diverse variants of Indonesian political Islam reveal the difference between actors and issues in the dynamics of their contention. However, evidence makes clear that variants of both political and popular Islam have been more dominant than other Islamic variants such progressive and neotraditionalist Islam. This study argues that mode of Islamic articulations in Indonesia is now more diverse as the it has developed not only in the articulatory forms of modernist, revivalist and traditionalist but also progressive, neo-traditionalist and popular Islam. Tulisan ini didasarkan pada kerangka ruang publik Jurgen Hubermas yang membedakan ruang privat dan ruang politik (publik). Ruang publik merupakan ruang yang terbuka untuk diperebutkan oleh siapa pun dan kapan pun. Sementara ruang privat merupakan ruang yang bersifat domestic (individual) tidak berdimensi politik secara dominan. Dalam persepktif semacam itu, hadirnya varian-varian Islam Indonesia merupakan bentuk kontestasi atas ruang publik yang terbuka untuk siapapun. Dari varian-varian Islam Indonesia, ada perbedaan aktor dan isu yang dikembangkan dalam kontestasi publik. Hanya saja kontestasi varian Islam politik dan popular mendapatkan ruang lebih dominan ketimbang varian Islam lain seperti progresif atau neo-tradisionalisme. Kajian ini menunjukkan bahwa Islam Indonesia tengah mengalami perkembangan format artikulasi yang sangat beragam. Islam Indonesia tidak hanya berkembang dalam format modernis, revivalis, tradisionalisme, tetapi sekaligus progresif, neo-tradisionalis dan popular Islam.