Islam and Citizenship in Indonesia

Islam and Citizenship in Indonesia examines the conditions facilitating democracy, women's rights, and inclusive citizenship in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority country and the third largest democracy in the world. The book shows that Muslim understandings of Islamic traditions and ethics have coevolved with the understanding and practice of democracy and citizen belonging. Following thirty-two years of authoritarian rule, in 1998 this sprawling Southeast Asian country returned to electoral democracy. The achievement brought with it, however, an upsurge in both the numbers and assertiveness of Islamist militias, as well as a sharp increase in violence against religious minorities. The resulting mobilizations have pitted the Muslim supporters of an Indonesian variety of inclusive citizenship against populist proponents of Islamist majoritarianism. Seen from this historical example, the book demonstrates that Muslim actors come to know and practice Islam in a manner not determined in an unchanging way by scriptural commands but in coevolution with broader currents in politics, society, and citizen belonging. By exploring these questions in both an Indonesian and comparative context, this book offers important lessons on the challenge of democracy and inclusive citizenship in the Muslim-majority world. Well-written and informative, this book will be suitable for adoption in university courses on Islam, Southeast Asian Politics, Indonesian and Asian studies, as well as courses dealing with religion, democracy, and citizen belonging in multicultural societies around the world. The book will be of interest to the general reader with an interest in Islam, citizenship, and democracy.

Robert W. Hefner is a professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Pardee School of Global Affairs at Boston University, USA. He is the president of the American Institute for Indonesian Studies and a former president of the Association for Asian Studies. He specializes in the study of Muslim politics, modern public ethics, and democracy across cultures. His previous publications include the Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Indonesia (ed. 2018).

1. Introduction: Islam and Citizenship in Democratic Indonesia; 2. Citizenship Amidst Resurgence; 3. Religionization and the Politics of Recognition; 4. Exclusivist Islamism and the "Conservative Turn"; 5. Islamic Education and Ethical Prioritization; 6. Women and Gender Contention; 7. Whose Shariah? Religious Politics and Citizen Ethics; 8. Conclusion: The Quest for an Inclusive Public Ethics; References Cited; Index