The Border-Crossing Women

This paper examines the application of cross-textual reading on the story of women around Moses in the Qur'an and the Bible by grassroots Muslim and Christian women in the village of Wendewa Utara, Central Sumba. Due to the involvement of women, then I apply the feminist approach to analyze the dynamics of cross-textual reading. During several focus group discussions, cross-textual reading was run smoothly because the participants are bound by kinship ties. They are also rooted in Sumbanese cultural values that reflect Marapu religious values. In other words, Muslim and Christian women are living in a context of socio-religious-cultural hybridity in which their religious identity intermingles with their cultural identity. For this reason, this paper describes a project bringing these women into another space of dialogue through cross-textual reading. In the cross-textual reading, both grassroots Muslim and Christian women are crossing their religious borders by finding resonant commonalities between the two texts, as they explore the affirmative, enriched, and irreconcilable difference as well. Cross-textual reading is a new adventure for both Muslim and Christian women in Wendewa Utara. The participants were enthusiastic because the material readings encourage them to share their problems, joys, hopes, and dreams. By reflecting on the struggle of women around Moses, the participants are committed to supporting one another in their daily life. Accordingly, this model of reading creates a safe space for grassroots Muslim and Christian women to learn from one another for mutual enrichment.

Truth Telling in Peacebuilding: A Buddhist Contribution

Truth telling has been recognized as important in the process of trauma healing and reconciliation according to modern peacebuilding theories. Studies have shown that truth telling is not a simple issue but involves problems and challenges that need research and solutions. This study contributes to this problem-solution or the question “How should difficult and painful truth be told in a way that minimizes harm and maximizes benefit for all?” by offering an alternative knowledge and method rooted in the Buddhist tradition. Based on textual study of the Majjhima Nikaya and Anguttara Nikaya, the paper argues that the Buddha’s teachings can widen the understanding and minimize potential problems with the work of truth telling whether in the collective or interpersonal context by providing a concrete systematic framework and criteria for reflection, making decision and communication of truth.

Identity Politics and National Integration; A Case Study of the Sunni-Shia Conflict in Sampang, 2012

This research attempts to examine the identity politics conflicts that occur between Sunni-Shia in Sampang. This conflict was based on religious identity that is used as a force in exerting pressure on different groups. On the other hand, national integration is needed as a form of acknowledging and accommodating differences through policies issued. Integration must be a two-way adaptation process involving changes in values, norms and behaviors. This study aims is also to determine whether the Sunni-Shia conflict in Sampang which is motivated by identity politics has now reached the direction of national integration or not. David Miller's theory of identity politics and Chantal Lacroix's national integration was used in this study. The methodology used is qualitative specifically with a case study approach. The findings showed that the Sunni-Shia conflict in Sampang has been seen towards integration of Tajul Muluk attitude and his followers’ decision to leave their faith and return to the doctrines of the majority community, Sunni. This makes the absence of a two-way adaptation process appears by abandoning their beliefs and following the wishes of the majority. The role of the state in fighting for freedom of religion and belief in Indonesia was very weak even though the constitution in Indonesia guarantees freedom of religion is strong enough. Therefore, the application of their efforts should have some supervisions.

Crisis and Hope among the World’s Urban Poor: Religion responds to Covid-19

We are living in unprecedented times of migration flows. There are over 271.6 million international migrants globally, most of them women and children under the age of 19, most of whom move to cities causing fast growth in urban areas, particularly in the informal settlements and slums, places of poverty, densely populated with inadequate household water and sanitation, little or no waste management, overcrowded public transport and limited access to formal health care facilities. As they seek to establish themselves in the city, many migrants turn to religion for support. Faith communities become places where they can find 1) a source of community; 2) where resources are available to meet their needs; 3) for support in times of trouble; and 4) where praying becomes a resource for survival. As the Covid-19 pandemic began spreading throughout the world and cities were locked down, people were requested to stay in their homes, but yet they had no income or food, causing hunger, anxiety, fear and violence. But once again faith communities, already on the ground, have responded, and from these responses are lessons to be learned on how to support bottom-up approaches that build resiliency and strengthen informal communities in times of crisis. 5 principal ways that religious communities are helping to build resilient cities: data collection, developing partnerships and networks, providing information and communication, inclusive and diverse engagement, and spiritual comfort and guidance. These types of responses create resilient communities than can withstand future pandemics.

Japan’s International Standards of Waste Recycling Treatment: Disseminating the Osaki System in Depok and Bali

This research explains the importance of approach and coordination from the Osaki Town government on waste recycling management of Osaki System to the community residents and companies, for changing their mindset on responsibilities and duties. This was done since the beginning when Osaki system was created until it becomes a sustainable system in daily life. The important key aspects on implementing the Osaki system are good cooperation and bond of trust shared among the government, community residents and companies. Osaki Town has achieved no.1 in the highest rate of waste resource recycling for 12 consecutive years in all of Japan. The system has made Osaki Town to become a SDGs system model in Japan, after receiving SDGs award from the Japanese government in December 2019. The Osaki System has succeeded to solve problems on reducing the volume of waste in landfill site. Being a sustainable waste resource recycling system and a model not only in Japan but also abroad, Osaki Town then disseminates the Osaki System in Indonesia which has the same problems, such as approach and cooperation between the government and the residents, reduce the waste volume in landfill areas by separate waste method for recycling and low cost management.

Peer Holm Jorgensen’s work, The Missing History: Based on the True Story of Dewa Soeradjana

This article was originally a paper when the author was asked to discuss Peer Holm Jorgensen’s work, The Missing History: Based on the True Story of Dewa Soeradjana, which was organized by the Bali Study Center-Udayana University in collaboration with Bentara Budaya. The title given by the author in connection with the discussion of the contents of the book is assesing the Witness of a Person in History Before the Events of September 30, 1965. It should be noted that until now, the development of Indonesian historiography is still far from the expectation of writing a complete and comprehensive history. This is because in addition to the limited historical sources available relating to the periods made in the writing of Indonesian history itself, such as between the classical historical period, modern history and contemporary history which entered into the realm of cultural studies as the post-modern era. The existence of gaps between these periods, especially in the post-revolutionary period, seems to be caused by the spirit of the times that developed after the end of the New Order era, where there was a demand for a forward total history writing. This means that there is now a demand for an open history writing, without any cover-up, so that Indonesian society in general and historians (professional historians), history enthusiasts, amateur historians, and students will be able to fully understand the history of their nation. The hope that this demand will get a chance, now that the New Order regime which ruled for more than 32 years in a centralized and authoritarian manner has ended. The hopes include the need to represent studies related to the demands of the reform era which want transparency, accountability, openness and provide defense to minority groups, and marginalized people as a result of policies that benefit the majority group. This condition gave the majority group an opportunity to legitimize its power, various strategies are carried out so that it was hoped that it would not provide opportunities for political groups or opponents to defend themselves.

Shaping of Cities’ Identities with Cultural Uniqueness: Handcraft Shops and Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Hanoi Old Quarter in Vietnam

A city usually has its own identity and cultural uniqueness with the markers of identity perhaps varying among museums, monuments, temples, theatre buildings, handcraft and traditional shops/markets and night bazaars and historical heritage sites, to mention a few. It is very common for cities in mainland Southeast Asia, like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phnom Penh, Luang Prabang and Hanoi to have handcraft markets/shops as well as night bazaars selling various handcrafts attributed to one ethnic group or another. Those handcraft shops/markets and night bazaars are often at least partly related to the promotion of tourism. However, they do not only exist for the sake of tourism, since the promotion of cultural uniqueness as the identity of a city is related to the feeling of pride and the very soul of the city. This paper will discuss the existing handcraft markets/shops and night bazaar in Chiang Mai (Thailand) as important elements of the city’ s icons and the Hanoi Old Quarter, a historical heritage area in Hanoi, where handcraft shops, night market, cafés and many more venues are integral to the identity of Hanoi. The fieldwork was conducted in Chiang Mai in 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2016 for a few days and in Hanoi in 2006, 2017, 2018 for a few days, especially using qualitative research. The discussion is divided into three parts: the First, giving a brief review of the identity of a city; the Second, touching on the issue of how the handcraft shops and the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai are seen as the city icons; and Finally, the shaping of the Hanoi Old Quarter as Hanoi’s cultural icon/identity.

Global Husaini; Identity Formation at Shrinescape

Imam Husain`s martyrdom regains its global importance thanks to arbain walk, an annual inter-religious ziyarah event done by walking from Najaf to Karbala, along the route of which epic hospitality is being practiced for the comfort of Imam Husain`s devotee that coming from around the world. If Imam Husain`s martyrdom previously exist in revolutionary and spiritual imaginary of world leaders and mystics, arbain walk opens up a new path to convey Imam Husain`s legacy, in the sense that arbain walk reenact nonshi`i involvements in Karbala event thus make it as an arena for interreligious encounters. Those nonshi`i participated in 3 days walking from Najaf to Karbala are comprising of what I call global Husaini, emerge as the result of dynamic encounter in shrinescape of Imam Husain. Without this dynamics of shrinescape, global Husaini will be only a scattered presence of nonShi`is in communal pockets of Shi`i adherents around the world commemorating Imam Husain`s martyrdom.

History of Protest Literature in India: Trails from the Bhakti Literature

“Better is to live one day virtuous and meditative than to live a hundred years immoral and uncontrolled” (The Buddha) Bhakti movement in India has been a path-breaking phenomenon that provided a solid shape and an identifiable face to the abstractions with the help of vernacular language. As a religious movement, it emphasized a strong personal and emotional bond between devotees and a personal God. It has come from the Sanskrit word Bhaj- ‘to share’. It began as a tradition of devotional songs, hagiographical or philosophical – religious texts which have generated a common ground for people of all the sects in the society to come together. As counterculture, it embraced into its fold all sections of people breaking the barriers of caste, class, community, and gender. It added an inclusive dimension to the hitherto privileged, exclusivist, Upanishadic tradition. It has provided a very critical outlook on contemporary Brahminical orthodoxy and played a crucial role in the emergence of modern poetry in India. This paper elaborates on the positioning of the Bhakti Movement in the context of Protest narratives in India.

The Dynamics of Tri Hita Karana Implementation in The Balinese Hindu Residence in South Denpasar

This article aims to analyze the dynamicity of Tri Hita Karana implementation in South Denpasar regarding the causing factors, the dynamic forms, as well the implication on the Hindus community life. This research was conducted using qualitative methods. The data were collected through document study, observation, and in-depth interviews with 25 informants. The collected data were analyzed by the theories of hegemony, social change, socio-cultural system critical, and adaptation. The results showed: First, the factors causing the dynamicity of Tri Hita Karana in the residential area of Hindus are urban modernization, population growth, spatial planning policies and settlement development, and rationalization in building construction. Second, the dynamics of Tri Hita Karana in these residentials are: (a) In the palemahan area, land conversion has displaced the subak and Ulun Suwi temple, violation of the principles of Balinese Traditional Architecture (ATB), displacing the existence of the open space; b) The pawongan area is characterized by increasingly heterogeneous, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural citizens.; (c) In the parahyangan area where the building layout was not reconstructed, the holy place Merajan was built on the upper floor of the residence. Third, the implications of the dynamics of Tri Hita Karana in the residential area of Hindus in the South Denpasar, include: (a) The palemahan area implies the use of land space based on the principles of effective, efficient, and economical, but the concept of ulu teben and kaja-kangin as the Balinese sacred orientations is still maintained; (b) The pawongan area is characterized by the behavior of city dwellers looking for Social space and spiritual recreation; (c) The Parahyangan area is characterized by praying activities at Merajan and Padmasana on the upper floor of the residence. To enforce the Tri Hita Karana, the misuse (disorientation) of spatial planning needs to be anticipated.