Passive Islamophobia and Cultural National Construction: A Critical note on Art Curriculum
Underpinned by representation theory, this article is an attempt to explain passive islamopobia by critically analysing the discursive construction of Indonesian cultural nationalism, which is based on the content of art and culture subject for secondary school students. The conception of Indonesian nationality comes from both various internal solidarity and contestation between Islamism, Hinduism and secularism, in the resistance against imperialists. Mainstream narrative of Indonesian nationalism has strong root in the Majapahit/Hinduism legacy, which is unwittingly so-called Indonesia as new Majapahit. In the meantime, the construction of the cultural nationalism excludes Islamic culture and identity. The aim of this work is to explore the relationship between marginality and islamophobia which is internalised in the content of art curricula; both KTSP and K-13. Learning from the art text book content, we argue that the teaching Indonesian cultural nationality fails to consider Islamic art and cultural heritages. The marginality and the exclusion of Islamic art and culture in the construction of Indonesian nationality through art curricula and art education policy indicate internalised passive Islamophobia, rather than showing them the affection for Islamic culture.