Auerbach Lecture | 02.06.2025 | 18 Uhr
Media Zainul Bahri (Islamwissenschaft, Jakarta): Rereading the Winding Path of the Indonesian Islamic Modernism Period of 1970-2020 in the Context of Western Modernity and Religious Revival
Abstract
This lecture will elaborate on the expression and articulation of Indonesian Islamic movements in the period of 1970-2020, which focuses on the idea of Islamic modernism as a response to Western modernity. Several scattered previous studies show that Indonesian Muslims, especially modernist Muslims, from the era of Dutch colonialism to the reformation period actually struggled intensely with the problems of modernity and the search for the authenticity of their Islamic identity (Johan Meuleman 2002, Carool Kersten 2018, John Obert Voll 1997, John Cooper and Mohamed Mahmoud 2004, Robert W. Hefner and Patricia Horvatich 2001, and many others). The focus of this study consists of two parts:
The first part covers the phase from the first years of the New Order (1970) to the first year of Reformation (2000) by describing several modernist Islamic movements responding to Western modernity and secularism. In this first part there are three movements that will be discussed: first, “the renewal of Islamic thought” by neo-modernist Nurcholish Madjid and his fellows; second, “Islamic modernism” and “modern Muslim society” by ICMI revivalist-modernists (Ikatan Cendekiawan Muslim Indonesia, Alliance of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals), and third, the modernist-conservative group, namely the “campus da’wah” movement which actively campaigns for the Islamization of knowledge and campuses.
The second part (focusing on the years 2000-2020) is a study of two movements: first, the neo-revivalist modernist group affiliated with the INSIST (Institute for the Study of Islamic Thought and Civilization) which campaigns for authentic Islamic epistemology and dewesternization. Second, the modernist-conservative-capitalist movement which campaigns for Islam as a commodity (religious commodification). The focus of this second movement includes the phenomena of (1) sharia housing, (2) fashionable and branded headscarves (hijab), (3) and the commodification of the Quranic manuscripts. Since this lecture focuses on the struggle of Indonesian modernist Muslims vis a vis Western modernism and secularism, these five modernist movements will be described briefly as an entry point to understanding the main topic of this lecture.
Ort & Zeit: Bibliothek Erich Auerbach Institut, Weyertal 59 (Rückgebäude, 3. OG), 50937 Köln |
Montag, 02.06.2025 | 18:00 Uhr