ABDURRAHMAN WAHID’S CONTRIBUTION FOR INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE IN INDONESIA

Abstract: By understanding the historical development of inter-religious dialogue in Indonesia and its global setting since 1970s from rhetoric strategy to meaningful encounter, this paper seeks to situate important contribution of Abdurrahman Wahid’s legacy besides those of other key figures in the field. The paper will critically analyze how and why Abdurrahman’s ideas and works in inter-religious dialogue are intertwined with his family and personal biography, socio-political context of the New Order and after and his traditionalist Muslim background. In particular, Abdurrahman’s reinterpretation of Islamic texts, doctrine and tradition will be discussed in the light of his vision for Indonesian democracy. His notion of religious pluralism, tolerance, peaceful co-existence, mutual understanding, and indigenization of Islam will be explained as intellectual and political enterprises by which he navigates and challenges all forms of injustices especially created by the New Order’s politics of fear, exploitation of anti-Communist sentiment, ethnicity, religion, race and inter-social groups (SARA) and developmentalist ideology under Suharto’s presidency. His engagement in inter-religious dialogue will be read against the developing context of the New Order’s post-1965 politics of religion to the 1990s re-Islamization, the persistent growth of Islamic sectarianism, exclusivism, and identity politics that eventually results in interreligious tension and mutual suspicion, especially between Muslims and Christians. The paper seeks to understand how and why Abdurrahman Wahid as a prominent leader of Muslims as majority group explores inter-religious dialogue as a means by which religious communities are supposed to contribute and work together in overcoming common problems faced by the society. His commitment for and advocacy of the local culture, tradition, minority rights, and Islamic inclusivism will be understood as his struggle as statesman, religious leader, public intellectual and social activist for the creation of equality and justice for all citizens and human dignity in accordance with Islamic teaching and principles of democracy.Keywords: Inter-religious Dialogue, Religious Pluralism, Indigenization of Islam, Islamic Sectarianism, Identity Politics, Democracy. Abstrak: Dengan memahami perkembangan historis dialog antar-agama di Indonesia serta latar globalnya sejak 1970-an dari strategi retoris menjadi perjumpaan yang bermakna, paper ini akan menempatkan sumbangan warisan Abdurrahman Wahid bersama para tokoh kunci lainnya dalam bidang ini. Secara kritis paper ini akan menganalisis bagaimana dan kenapa gagasan serta karya Abdurrahman Wahid dalam dialog agama terjalin erat dengan biografi pribadi dan keluarganya, konteks sosial-politik Orde Baru dan sesudahnya serta latar belakang Islam tradisional yang menjadi basisnya. Secara khusus, penafsiran ulang Abdurrahman Wahid terhadap teks, doktrin, dan tradisi akan didiskusikan dalam kaitannya dengan visinya tentang demokrasi Indonesia. Pengertiannya tentang pluralism agama, toleransi, hidup berdampingan secara damai, saling memahami, dan pribumisasi Islam akan dijelaskan sebagai ihtiar intelektual dan politisnya yang dengan itu ia melakukan navigasi dan menggugat segala macam bentuk ketidakadilan khususnya yang muncul sebagai akibat dari politik ketakutan Orde Baru, eksploitas terhadap sentiment anti-Komunis, SARA dan ideologi pembangunan selama masa Suharto. Keterlibatannya dalam dialog antar-agama akan dibaca dalam kaitannya dengan perkembangan konteks politik agama pasca-1965 yang dilakukan Orde Baru hingga re-Islamisasi 1990an dan kian mengerasnya Islamisme, ekslusivisme serta politik identitas yang akhirnya mengakibatkan ketegangan hubungan antar-agama dan saling curiga, khususnya antara Muslim dan Kristen. Paper ini berusaha untuk memahami bagaimana dan mengapa Abdurrahman Wahid sebagai pemimpin terkemuka Islam sebagai kelompok mayoritas mengeksplorasi dialog antar-agama sebagai sarana bagi komunitas agama untuk berkontribusi dan bekerjasama satu sama lain dalam mengatasi problem bersama yang dihadapi masyarakat.  Komitmen serta pembelaannya terhadap budaya lokal, tradisi, hak-hak minoritas dan inklusivisme Islam akan dipahami sebagai bagian dari perjuangannya sebagai seorang negarawan, pemimpin agama dan intelektual publik serta aktivis sosial dalam upaya untuk mewujudkan kesetaraan dan keadilan bagi setiap warga negara serta martabat bagi semua manusia sesuai dengan ajaran Islam dan prinsip-prinsip demokrasi.Kata kunci: Dialog Antar-agama, Pluralism Agama, Pribumisasi Islam, Sektarianisme Islam, Politik Identitas, Demokrasi

Death and Woman: Comparing the Meaning of the Deaths of the Female Main Characters in the Works of Toni Morrison and Alice Munro

This paper seeks to explore the meaning of death in two important works by two female Noble Prize winning authors, Toni Morrison and Alice Munro. Hagin’s (2010) theory of role of death in storyline is used to analyze the works. The three deaths found in the story: initial death, intermediary death and story-terminating death all have significant meaningful relation to the past and the future. They have epistemological value of revealing and/or exposing the truth from the past. Death is used as technical instrument to reveal the truth, to transform ignorance into knowledge, dishonesty into accountability, to purify the past from falsehood and lies. Death also inserts its demand in the story by removing obstacle or giving opportunity for the living to set up new goal. The demand of the dead is possible since the deceased is “remembered” by the “cult” who may follow or manipulate their legacy. The two authors articulate “feminist voice” through the struggle of the main female characters. Toni Morrison articulates the dehumanizing consequence of racism, whereas Alice Munro voices her concern on the contradictory nature of orderly neat appearance of the modern people versus scandalous dark secret beneath the surface.Keywords: dehumanization, feminist voice, initial death, intermediary death, story-terminating death, racism

ABDURRAHMAN WAHID’S CONTRIBUTION FOR INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE IN INDONESIA

Abstract: By understanding the historical development of inter-religious dialogue in Indonesia and its global setting since 1970s from rhetoric strategy to meaningful encounter, this paper seeks to situate important contribution of Abdurrahman Wahid’s legacy besides those of other key figures in the field. The paper will critically analyze how and why Abdurrahman’s ideas and works in inter-religious dialogue are intertwined with his family and personal biography, socio-political context of the New Order and after and his traditionalist Muslim background. In particular, Abdurrahman’s reinterpretation of Islamic texts, doctrine and tradition will be discussed in the light of his vision for Indonesian democracy. His notion of religious pluralism, tolerance, peaceful co-existence, mutual understanding, and indigenization of Islam will be explained as intellectual and political enterprises by which he navigates and challenges all forms of injustices especially created by the New Order’s politics of fear, exploitation of anti-Communist sentiment, ethnicity, religion, race and inter-social groups (SARA) and developmentalist ideology under Suharto’s presidency. His engagement in inter-religious dialogue will be read against the developing context of the New Order’s post-1965 politics of religion to the 1990s re-Islamization, the persistent growth of Islamic sectarianism, exclusivism, and identity politics that eventually results in interreligious tension and mutual suspicion, especially between Muslims and Christians. The paper seeks to understand how and why Abdurrahman Wahid as a prominent leader of Muslims as majority group explores inter-religious dialogue as a means by which religious communities are supposed to contribute and work together in overcoming common problems faced by the society. His commitment for and advocacy of the local culture, tradition, minority rights, and Islamic inclusivism will be understood as his struggle as statesman, religious leader, public intellectual and social activist for the creation of equality and justice for all citizens and human dignity in accordance with Islamic teaching and principles of democracy.Keywords: Inter-religious Dialogue, Religious Pluralism, Indigenization of Islam, Islamic Sectarianism, Identity Politics, Democracy. Abstrak: Dengan memahami perkembangan historis dialog antar-agama di Indonesia serta latar globalnya sejak 1970-an dari strategi retoris menjadi perjumpaan yang bermakna, paper ini akan menempatkan sumbangan warisan Abdurrahman Wahid bersama para tokoh kunci lainnya dalam bidang ini. Secara kritis paper ini akan menganalisis bagaimana dan kenapa gagasan serta karya Abdurrahman Wahid dalam dialog agama terjalin erat dengan biografi pribadi dan keluarganya, konteks sosial-politik Orde Baru dan sesudahnya serta latar belakang Islam tradisional yang menjadi basisnya. Secara khusus, penafsiran ulang Abdurrahman Wahid terhadap teks, doktrin, dan tradisi akan didiskusikan dalam kaitannya dengan visinya tentang demokrasi Indonesia. Pengertiannya tentang pluralism agama, toleransi, hidup berdampingan secara damai, saling memahami, dan pribumisasi Islam akan dijelaskan sebagai ihtiar intelektual dan politisnya yang dengan itu ia melakukan navigasi dan menggugat segala macam bentuk ketidakadilan khususnya yang muncul sebagai akibat dari politik ketakutan Orde Baru, eksploitas terhadap sentiment anti-Komunis, SARA dan ideologi pembangunan selama masa Suharto. Keterlibatannya dalam dialog antar-agama akan dibaca dalam kaitannya dengan perkembangan konteks politik agama pasca-1965 yang dilakukan Orde Baru hingga re-Islamisasi 1990an dan kian mengerasnya Islamisme, ekslusivisme serta politik identitas yang akhirnya mengakibatkan ketegangan hubungan antar-agama dan saling curiga, khususnya antara Muslim dan Kristen. Paper ini berusaha untuk memahami bagaimana dan mengapa Abdurrahman Wahid sebagai pemimpin terkemuka Islam sebagai kelompok mayoritas mengeksplorasi dialog antar-agama sebagai sarana bagi komunitas agama untuk berkontribusi dan bekerjasama satu sama lain dalam mengatasi problem bersama yang dihadapi masyarakat.  Komitmen serta pembelaannya terhadap budaya lokal, tradisi, hak-hak minoritas dan inklusivisme Islam akan dipahami sebagai bagian dari perjuangannya sebagai seorang negarawan, pemimpin agama dan intelektual publik serta aktivis sosial dalam upaya untuk mewujudkan kesetaraan dan keadilan bagi setiap warga negara serta martabat bagi semua manusia sesuai dengan ajaran Islam dan prinsip-prinsip demokrasi.Kata kunci: Dialog Antar-agama, Pluralism Agama, Pribumisasi Islam, Sektarianisme Islam, Politik Identitas, Demokrasi

The Significance of the Hero’s Journey in Siddhartha’s Character Development as Seen in Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha

This paper discusses the character development of Siddhartha, the main character in Herman Hesse’s novel, Siddhartha (1973). This research aims to study how Siddhartha’s character develops during his journey to reach enlightenment. The analysis is conducted by using the theory of the hero's journey by Joseph Campbell. The result shows that Siddhartha’s journey follows twelve out of seventeen stages of the hero’s journey proposed by Campbell. All of the stages appear in the same order except the stage Belly of The Whale that comes late. It functions as a turning point rather than a preparation for a greater ordeal. The analysis also shows that Siddhartha undergoes two major changes; from an individualistic to a wise person and from someone who is always persistent and thirsty for knowledge to someone who is flexible

Power Relation Between Katniss Everdeen and President Snow in The Hunger Games Trilogy

This paper aims to find out about the dynamic of the power relation between Katniss Everdeen and President Snow from The Hunger Games trilogy, and how the power relation reflects domination and resistance. For the analysis, this paper applies Foucault's theory of power relations. The discussion concludes that the power relation between Katniss and President Snow is formed through the distribution of power that makes them subjects who can exercise power, and in the process, leads them to create a power relation where they complement each other’s power. A productive network is then formed as they work out the power relation with objectives and rationalization to exercise their power throughout the trilogy. Furthermore, the domination and resistance are reflected in the power relation through the use of those two effects of power as strategies by President Snow and Katniss respectively. Resulting in interchanging responses of domination and resistance that affect a series of events in the story

Questioning Popular Culture: Future Technology In Ready Player One

This study investigates the impact of future technology products, as one of the parts of popular culture, on society in the science fiction novel Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2011) and on our current society. The primary data of this study were taken from the novel. The results reveal that the effects of popular culture, specifically the products of technology, on modern society are enormous compared to the society in the novel. The similarities and differences between the technological aspects portrayed in the story compared to the current modern world are revealed to know what really happens and going to happen in the future

Elite Domination and Lower Class Resistance in Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One

This research examines Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One (2011), a popular science fiction novel. The objective of this research is to find out how a massive company called IOI (Innovative Online Industries) runs its domination against people in the novel. Furthermore, this paper also studies how the people resist the company’s domination. This study uses Marxist Theory since it investigates class, class conflict and struggle, domination, and resistance. The elements of the theory are identified in the novel and therefore analyzed to reach the objectives. The results of the analysis show that conflict is the reason of class grouping. In Ready Player One, the capitalist wants to expand its domination by winning the easter egg hunt while the proletariat resists it. It is concluded that class struggle and conflicts brings the proletariat to work together to resist the capitalist’s domination

The Clash of Culture in Neil Gaiman's American Gods

This research aims to examine the portrayal of cultural clash in Neil Gaiman’s novel, American Gods. More specifically, this research aims to identify what cultures are clashing and why they clash, and also to understand how the situation of cultural clash affects the lives and attitudes of the characters. This research also explores how the novel relates to cases of cultural clash happening in the current American society. This research is conducted using the framework of several sociological theories to understand the different forms of effects of cultural clash. The main issue presented in the novel is the conflict between the old gods, who represent society’s traditional beliefs, and the new gods, who represent the shift of culture in modern America. This conflict symbolizes how the two ideals, tradition and modernity, are competing in the American society today. The challenges the old gods face can also be seen as a portrayal of the immigrant experience, where they experience effects of cultural clash also commonly experienced by immigrants: cultural displacement, identity crisis, and conflict. The main finding of this research is that a person or group who experiences cultural clash will face a struggle where they must compromise or negotiate their cultural identity in order to be part of their current community. This is done as a way to survive and thrive in their environment