The visibility of a pious public

Bibliographic Data

ID5798917
AuthorsRianne Subijanto (0000-0002-0531-0767, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume12
Issue2
Pages240-253
Publication date2011-05-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInter-Asia Cultural Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-9373 • E-ISSN: 1469-8447
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14649373.2011.554651
OpenAlexW2087340084
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited7

The downfall of Suharto's regime in 1998 has been marked by the increasing visibility of Islamic piety in a form of popular culture. Tracing the emergent new genre of sinetron religi (religious TV series/serials), this paper analyzes the discourses of Islamic piety in several different series/serials, the construction of the public and the wider implication of these discourses for the position of Islam culturally and politically in Indonesia. This article argues that religious melodrama series/serials are a site of contestation of incoherent concepts of piety. As cultural texts, they interpellate their public and allow us to see how the visibility of religious discourses in public becomes a subject of negotiations and confrontations, while at the same time they trigger the politicization of piety as national identity. Keywords: Indonesiapublicpopular piety cultureIslam sinetron religi (religious TV series/serials) Notes 1. The term 'sinetron religi' in Indonesian language refers to both religious TV/melodrama series and serials. 2. Backed by the CIA, Suharto came to power through a coup against the first president, Sukarno, who was accused of supporting communism in the country. Suharto gained support from Islamist organizations and the Muslim community through propagandist ideology, saying that communism was anti-Islam. 3. Conflicts of interest had existed before the country had agreed to become a nation, especially from some parts of the Muslim community who wanted to construct the state based on Islamic Shariah. The first article in the Jakarta Charter mentioning that Indonesia was to use Islamic Shariah was annulled after a long discussion by the founding fathers, who realized this would not be able to accommodate Indonesians who were not Muslims. In 1948, Darul Islam, an organization built with the idea to build Negara Islam Indonesia (NII) (Indonesia Islamic State), was established and led by Kartosuwiryo. Since then, this so-called 'militant Islamic' was seen as a threat to the existence of the country. 4. Indeed, this is not an attempt to simplify what might be a more complex situation; therefore, it is also important to bear in mind that one phase might coincide with another. This means that it is not a clear cut division or timetable. 5. After the downfall of Suharto, Indonesia is seen to enter the 'era reformasi' (reformation era). 6. This term is inspired by Saba Mahmood's Politics of Piety (2005 Mahmood, Saba. 2005. Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject, Princeton: Princeton University Press. [Google Scholar]). However, different from the women's piety movement in Egypt's mosques she discusses in that book, the concept of piety in this article is based on its visibility on the ephemeral, secular medium and products. 7. I am aware of the biblical sense of this term. I am borrowing it to give a sense of the unworldly root of the story as opposed to the use of the word 'story'. 8. Pinney makes an important argument in approaches to visual studies. He develops 'a critique of conventional approaches to aesthetics and argue for the notion of "corpothetics" - embodied, corporeal aesthetics - as opposed to "disinterested" representation [e.g. aesthetics]... The relevant question then becomes not how images "look", but what they can "do"' (Pinney 2004 Pinney, Christopher. 2004. 'Photos of the Gods': The Printed Image and Political Struggle in India, London: Reaktion Books Ltd. [Google Scholar]: 8). 9. This is based on my interview with Veven sp Wardhana, a senior researcher on mass media in Indonesia. 10. Hajj is a title given to people who have gone to Mecca for a pilgrimage. In Indonesia, people who get this title are usually highly praised and are expected to behave in compliance with religious norms and ethics. 11. Or nikah mut'ah is generally seen as a type of marriage, similar to a permanent marriage (nikah), which makes the relationship halal (or Islamically acceptable). However, the marriage is temporary according to Islamic law and is dissolved after the fixed time has expired. This type of marriage is highly disputed. Some regard it as an acceptable form of marriage, but others deem it to be un-Islamic. 12. The debates are traced from newspaper articles, magazine articles, blogs and the writer's experiences of conversing with different groups of people

Visibility · Asian Studies and History · Gender and Women's Rights · Islamic Finance and Communication

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