Islam]! Exploring the Interplay of Punk and Piety in Java, Indonesia
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Université de Montréal Hey! Ho! Let’s Go [Back to Islam]! Exploring the Interplay of Punk and Piety in Java, Indonesia by Élise Imray Papineau Department of Anthropology Faculty of Arts and Sciences Thesis submitted in view of obtaining a M.Sc. in Anthropology (thesis option) May 2019 © Élise Imray Papineau, 2019 Abstract During the 1990s, punk music made its entry into Indonesian society. Coinciding with a nationwide political struggle against President Suharto’s New Order regime, punk was quickly adopted as a rallying point for expressing discontent towards the current repressive government. In 2018, two decades after the fall of Suharto, punk continues to entice with its unapologetic attitude, nonconformist style, and independent ethos. Yet in Java, Indonesia’s central island, punk has gained a new and rather unexpected function: proselytism. The Muslim Punk trend reveals that conservative religious groups are adopting punk ethos and imagery for proselytism, that a growing number of punks are becoming religious authorities, and that a thriving market is rendering both punk and Islamic symbols into commodities. The curious interplay between the realms of punk and Islam raises numerous questions about what it means to be punk and be Muslim, not only in the age of consumer culture and globalization, but also in the wake of the Islamic Revival. Drawing on the results of a three-month ethnographic sojourn in Java, I question how Javanese punks articulate the individualism of punk with the normativity of Islam. In sum, the Muslim Punk phenomenon invites us to reassess the discursive boundaries we commonly use to circumscribe the rhetorical worlds of ‘punk’ and ‘Islam’, and opens up a new debate about the parameters and paradoxes of punk proselytism. My thesis analyses and confirms the dynamic interrelation between religion, market economy, and popular culture in the 21st century. Keywords: Punk, Islam, Java, Indonesia, Popular Culture, Piety, Conservatism, Neoliberalism, Consumerism, Islamic Market i Résumé Dans les années 1990, la musique punk fit son entrée dans la société indonésienne. Coïncidant avec une vaste lutte politique contre le régime du Nouvel Ordre du président Suharto, le punk fut rapidement adopté comme plate-forme de ralliement pour exprimer une insatisfaction collective envers ce gouvernement répressif. En 2018, le punk continue de séduire par son attitude rebelle, son style non conformiste et son esprit indépendant. Pourtant, à Java, l’île centrale de l’Indonésie, le punk détient récemment d’une nouvelle fonction: le prosélytisme. Au sein de ce nouveau mouvement, on trouve des groupes religieux conservateurs qui adoptent la philosophie et les emblèmes du punk à des fins de prosélytisme, d'anciens punks qui deviennent des autorités religieuses, et un marché prospérant où des symboles punk et islamiques se voient transformés en marchandise. L'interaction curieuse entre les domaines du punk et de l'islam soulève de nombreuses questions sur ce que signifie d’être punk et d’être musulman à la suite du renouveau islamique. En m'appuyant sur les résultats d'un séjour ethnographique de trois mois à Java, je m’interroge sur la façon dont les punks javanais articulent l'individualisme du punk avec la normativité de l'islam. Ce phénomène nous invite à réexaminer les limites que nous utilisons pour circonscrire les mondes rhétoriques du punk et de l’islam. De plus, il suscite une réflexion sur les paramètres et les paradoxes du prosélytisme punk. C’est un cas parmi plusieurs qui témoigne de l’agencement dynamique entre la religion, l'économie de marché et la culture populaire au 21e siècle. Mots-clés : Punk, Islam, Java, Indonésie, Culture populaire, Piété, Conservatisme, Néolibéralisme, Consumérisme, Marché islamique ii Table of contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................... i Résumé ................................................................................................................................... ii Table of contents ....................................................................................................................iii List of figures.......................................................................................................................... v List of acronyms ................................................................................................................... vii List of abbreviations ............................................................................................................ viii Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................. x Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 i. Thematic ..................................................................................................................... 1 ii. Research Questions ..................................................................................................... 8 iii. Justification ............................................................................................................. 9 iv. Overview ............................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 1: Research Context ................................................................................................. 13 1.1 Brief History of Java.............................................................................................. 13 1.2 Islam Jawa ............................................................................................................. 17 1.3 Punk belum mati di sini! (Punk’s not dead here yet!) ............................................. 21 1.3.1 The Arrival of Punk: A Western Import with Political Purpose ...................... 22 1.3.2 Embodying DIY: Aesthetics, Participatory Culture & Collectives .................. 23 1.3.3 Conservative Punks: The Recent Shift from Left to Right .............................. 27 1.3.4 Punks as Social Outcasts & Outcasts Within Punk ......................................... 29 1.4 Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................... 32 1.4.1 Conceptual Tools ........................................................................................... 32 Chapter 2: Methodology ....................................................................................................... 39 2.1 Developing the Research Project ........................................................................... 39 2.2 Pre-Fieldwork Preparation ..................................................................................... 40 2.3 Data Collection: Navigating the Chaos of Punk ..................................................... 42 2.3.1 Travel Itinerary .............................................................................................. 43 2.3.2 Blending in with the Crowd: Daily Practices & Activities .............................. 45 2.3.3 Reconciling Punk & Academia: Adapting to the Field ................................... 46 iii 2.4 People & Places: An Overview .............................................................................. 48 2.4.1 The Actors ..................................................................................................... 49 2.4.2 The Places ..................................................................................................... 50 2.4.3 Media & Material Culture .............................................................................. 51 2.5 Post-Fieldwork: Ordering Disorder ........................................................................ 54 2.6 Ethical Considerations & Positionality ................................................................... 54 Chapter 3: Politico-Punks, From Left to Right ...................................................................... 61 3.1 Left-Leaning Punk Activists Then & Now ............................................................. 61 3.1.1. Spirit of Reformasi ..................................................................................... 62 3.1.2. Who Is the New Enemy? ............................................................................ 68 3.2 Preaching Politics: Politico-Punks & Activists on the Right ................................... 72 3.2.1 Transnational Islam: Global Trends, Local Pressures ..................................... 78 3.2.2 Articulating Politics and Piety Through the Islamic Market............................ 81 Chapter 4: The Many Faces of Java’s Muslim Punks ............................................................. 87 4.1 Rupture or Reconciliation? Punks’ Views Regarding Religion ............................... 88 4.2 The Alt. Brotherhood ............................................................................................. 92 4.2.1 DIY as Entrepreneurial Ethos ....................................................................... 101 4.2.2 Pop Icons of Islam ....................................................................................... 103 4.3 Punk Hijrah ......................................................................................................... 108 4.3.1 Religious Reorientation or Consequence of Aging?...................................... 113 Chapter 5: Muslim Punk Paradoxes