The return of Aliran to the lexicon of Indonesian politics
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: To best appreciate Diego Fossati’s book "Unity through Division: Political Islam, Representation and Democracy in Indonesia" from the angle of political developments in Indonesia, I would recommend that it be read in tandem wi...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2024
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/179069 |
| _version_ | 1811691947704713216 |
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| author | Sebastian, Leonard C. |
| author2 | S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies |
| author_facet | S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Sebastian, Leonard C. |
| author_sort | Sebastian, Leonard C. |
| collection | NTU |
| description | In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: To best appreciate Diego Fossati’s book "Unity through Division: Political Islam, Representation and Democracy in Indonesia" from the angle of political developments in Indonesia, I would recommend that it be read in tandem with his article “The Resurgence of Ideology in Indonesia: Political Islam, Aliran, and Political Behaviour.” Fossati does not use the word aliran (streams of political thought) in the book. Instead, he uses terms like “ideological division” and “partisan polarization” (p. 4) to refer to the same phenomenon of division between “pluralist” (both nationalist and traditionalist/Nahdlatul Ulama–affiliated Muslims) and “Islamist” (modernist and newer movements like Salafi, Partai Keadilan Sejahtera, and so forth). My view is that Unity through Division was written with a different audience in mind than this article, namely, general political science researchers who are less familiar with developments in Indonesia or who are focused on political developments more broadly. It is really the skillful application of quantitative methods to the study of identity politics and polarization that the author seems to want to emphasize in this book. Additionally, he is writing primarily to demonstrate political polarization as a mechanism or factor leading to democratic regression. The book seems targeted to an audience of North American–trained political scientists specializing in the study of democratization and democratic regression, largely through the use of quantitative methods. This is understandable. In the aftermath of the Trump presidential election and Brexit referendum in 2016, there has been a fascination within American-trained social science academia to address the big political science questions like the rise of populist leaders or sources of identity politics with quantitative methods—a research tool much in vogue. I appreciated and learned from Fossati’s skilled employment of quantitative methods and provision of comprehensive surveys that delve into the complexities of societal polarization, particularly as they concern political Islam. Surveys, together with graphs and charts, were used effectively to illustrate divisions within Indonesian society. However, this quantitative approach does have inherent shortcomings. For example, what are the historical origins of polarization in Indonesia? The more eclectic audience that reads the Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, for example, may find that Unity through Division does not provide an answer to this question. For researchers who subscribe to the classical school for the study of Indonesia, some degree of caveat emptor applies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:27:59Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/179069 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:27:59Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1790692024-07-17T01:21:02Z The return of Aliran to the lexicon of Indonesian politics Sebastian, Leonard C. S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies Social Sciences Aliran Indonesian politics In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: To best appreciate Diego Fossati’s book "Unity through Division: Political Islam, Representation and Democracy in Indonesia" from the angle of political developments in Indonesia, I would recommend that it be read in tandem with his article “The Resurgence of Ideology in Indonesia: Political Islam, Aliran, and Political Behaviour.” Fossati does not use the word aliran (streams of political thought) in the book. Instead, he uses terms like “ideological division” and “partisan polarization” (p. 4) to refer to the same phenomenon of division between “pluralist” (both nationalist and traditionalist/Nahdlatul Ulama–affiliated Muslims) and “Islamist” (modernist and newer movements like Salafi, Partai Keadilan Sejahtera, and so forth). My view is that Unity through Division was written with a different audience in mind than this article, namely, general political science researchers who are less familiar with developments in Indonesia or who are focused on political developments more broadly. It is really the skillful application of quantitative methods to the study of identity politics and polarization that the author seems to want to emphasize in this book. Additionally, he is writing primarily to demonstrate political polarization as a mechanism or factor leading to democratic regression. The book seems targeted to an audience of North American–trained political scientists specializing in the study of democratization and democratic regression, largely through the use of quantitative methods. This is understandable. In the aftermath of the Trump presidential election and Brexit referendum in 2016, there has been a fascination within American-trained social science academia to address the big political science questions like the rise of populist leaders or sources of identity politics with quantitative methods—a research tool much in vogue. I appreciated and learned from Fossati’s skilled employment of quantitative methods and provision of comprehensive surveys that delve into the complexities of societal polarization, particularly as they concern political Islam. Surveys, together with graphs and charts, were used effectively to illustrate divisions within Indonesian society. However, this quantitative approach does have inherent shortcomings. For example, what are the historical origins of polarization in Indonesia? The more eclectic audience that reads the Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, for example, may find that Unity through Division does not provide an answer to this question. For researchers who subscribe to the classical school for the study of Indonesia, some degree of caveat emptor applies. 2024-07-17T01:21:02Z 2024-07-17T01:21:02Z 2024 Journal Article Sebastian, L. C. (2024). The return of Aliran to the lexicon of Indonesian politics. Asia Policy, 19(2), 226-230. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/ASP.2024.A927105 1559-0968 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/179069 10.1353/ASP.2024.A927105 2-s2.0-85195309650 2 19 226 230 en Asia Policy © The National Bureau of Asian Research. All rights reserved. |
| spellingShingle | Social Sciences Aliran Indonesian politics Sebastian, Leonard C. The return of Aliran to the lexicon of Indonesian politics |
| title | The return of Aliran to the lexicon of Indonesian politics |
| title_full | The return of Aliran to the lexicon of Indonesian politics |
| title_fullStr | The return of Aliran to the lexicon of Indonesian politics |
| title_full_unstemmed | The return of Aliran to the lexicon of Indonesian politics |
| title_short | The return of Aliran to the lexicon of Indonesian politics |
| title_sort | return of aliran to the lexicon of indonesian politics |
| topic | Social Sciences Aliran Indonesian politics |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/179069 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sebastianleonardc thereturnofalirantothelexiconofindonesianpolitics AT sebastianleonardc returnofalirantothelexiconofindonesianpolitics |