Kawistara, Vol. 2, No. 2, 17 Agustus 2012: 121-139 INTRODUCTION In the Indonesian context, some would A mid-sixteenth century law text mindlessly say that “agama” refers to the from Java was labeled The agama. In their six “official” religions of Islam, Catholicism, study, M.C. Hoadley and M.B. Hooker Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism and refer to “agama” as “traditional learning Confucianism and in the same breath (overgelevered leer) which could apply consider “agama” to be the equivalent in equally to any law book”, drawing particularly meaning to “religion” in general. Although upon Hindu law following J. C. G. Jonker’s we may be able to analyze “agama” in argument (Hoadley and Hooker, 1981: 57- terms of other concepts, such as Judaism or 58). In this regard, “agama” is generally communism, the use of “agama” implies understood as a body of prescriptions. The that all Indonesians acknowledge and accept meaning of “agama” shifted and there was its official meaning, whether they belong to already a binary relationship between the these six formalized religions or not. Such a concepts of “agama” and “adat”: “agama” circumstance cries out for an explanation. here refers to a ‘unified’ Javanese Court legal In the past, to say that something was prescription as opposed to the diverse “adat” “agama” was not there simply to be found; of local peripheries. This reasonable first crack the word “agama” does not occur in all would soon give way to the triadic sphere ethnic societies in Indonesia. There is barely of “agama”, “adat” and “kepercayaan” a vocabulary available in great numbers of discussed later. ethnic languages in Indonesia for translating An interesting point is thatmajority either “religion” or “agama” (Harahap, 2000; Kuper and Kuper, 2000: 914). These terms are of Indonesian Muslims do not associate foreign for some Indonesian ethnic groups. “agama” with the Islamic notion of “din” It will be useful to look at the origin or use the word. the word “din” refers and the developments of the word “agama.” to (1) custom or mores, (2) rules, (3) laws, “Agama” is a loan word from Sanskrit: it (4) oneness of God, (5) obedience, (6) is a “post-Vedic scripture conveying ritual redemption, (7) judgment, (8) Armageddon, knowledge that is considered to have been (9) advice, and (10) religion (‘Ulumul revealed by a personal divinity” (Merriam- Qur’an, 1992: 48-50). As the biggest Muslim Webster’ Encyclopedia of World Religions, country in the world, the Indonesian word 1999: 22). From a Srilankan context, “agama” for “religion” is a word from Sanskrit, not rendered composite meanings: that “agama” Arabic. Whether the explanation for this is concerned with lokottara (supermundane) partiality is cultural or ideological in nature, matters as opposed to laukoka (worldly) there is undoubtedly an element of each. matters (Southwold, 1978). Presenting Ideologically, the appeal of some Islamist “agama” in its historical conditions obliges groups to an Islamic state has persistently us to recognize its relativity against the incited the understanding of “din” al Islam deployment of “agama” in other societies, not merely as a religion but also a state. The such as in Indonesia. 122 Sita Hidayah -- The Politics of Religion The Invention of “Agama” in Indonesia principle of din wa dawlah creates a direct and MA means ‘the Sun’; Agama thus means opposition to the ‘secular’ state embodied the teaching of mystery, because God is by both former colonial administrators located in a mysterious place, a vacuum or and the Indonesian republic. One the other void …(c) Igama may reflect an abbreviation hand, cultural studies on how “agama” has from the Sanskrit I-GA-MA, where the been appropriated suggested that “agama” letter ‘I’ is ‘Iswara’, ‘GA’ is ‘body’ and MA has affinity to including political as well as is ‘Amartha’ (life); in this context, Igama socio-cultural competitions for authority and means the teaching of kebatinan, spirituality domination. (Hadikusumo, 1983: 16-17). “Agama”, at first glance, more easily is The problem here is not just a problem associated with an exclusivist understanding of transporting meanings from India to of modern “religion” as referred to by Indonesia. In fact, this paper discusses the Wilfred Cantwell Smith (1962) in The extent to which propositions about “agama” Meaning and End of Religion, made a prevalent as especially entailed in Indonesia’s system study of the reification of “religion” and its of government constitutes and is constituted logical consequence; modern understandings by the Indonesian religious reality. I will of “religion” are legitimated as an all- apply Foucault’s notions of “history of the encompassing concept and validated as present” to the innovative ‘imaginative’ final and inherent. The modern meanings of construction of the new system of production, “religion” are used: (1) to refer to personal distribution, circulation, and operation of piety, (2) as an ideal and (3) as an empirical the state-imposed “agama”. Through a phenomenon. These usages refer to a methodological practice of archeology, this public system. Within this understanding, paper explores the ‘condition of possibility” “religion” as a noun has the plural form and for the emergence of “agama”. the singular should use definite articles, and In this paper, I treat “agama” as the (4) as a total generic, ‘religion’ in general. central issue and follow what Foucault has He conveyed that “…in modern done: Indonesia agama, from the classical Sanskrit “…to account the fact that is spoken about, for ‘text’, has come to be used for the to discover who does the speaking, the Western notion of a religion” (Smith, 1962: positions and viewpoints from which they 58-59). According to Smith’s assessment, our speak, the institutions which prompt people to speak about it and which store and exposure to the “agama” by itself suffices to distribute the things that are said” (Foucault, explain the “transposition” of the concept of 1990: 16). “religion” to other parts of the world outside Here “agama” is considered not Greco-Roman Europe. Again, it is important merely as a concept, butas a priori idea to guard against a misunderstanding that and knowledge that historically situated this study would lead to a conclusion that and contingent. Discourse refers to very “agama” is the result of a form of ‘religious/ specific ways of thinking, a constant manner cultural imperialism’. of utterance considered acceptable by a From an Indonesian point of view, particular discourse community. What is Hadikusumo rationalizes the text and considered as “true” in this case “agama” is context of the definition of “agama” with produced and sustained by state apparatus its reference to Sanskrit. He states that “A and/or a regime of truth such as Indonesian means ‘not’ GAM means ‘go’. Suffix ‘a’ is Ulama Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia) to emphasize the eternal. AGAMA is then (Love, 1989). The state apparatus and its commonly understood as an eternal way fellows play by the rules of exclusion in which of life.” (b) According to the ‘Sunarigama’, it draws the boundary of what is acceptable AGAMA was derived from A-GA-MA; A and what is not about “agama.” means empty or vacuum, GA means ‘place’ 123 Kawistara, Vol. 2, No. 2, 17 Agustus 2012: 121-139 By focusing on “part of the ‘complex’ and “Citizenship...demonstrates affirmative and ‘restrictive’ exchange and communication in proactive rights of a pluralistic and inclusive a particular system or culture”, it provides political community which confirms and a way of exploring religious discourse as manages potential forms of ‘differences’ an element of ‘limitation’ and ‘exclusion’ among the people and communities to ensure equal rights for all, disregarding practices within a culture (Foucault in their background in religion, sex, ethnicity Lemert, 1993). Precisely in this regard, this or political affiliation” (An-Na’im, 2007: 69). study of the discourse of “agama” is relevant to the project of understanding and changing The discourse is clearly central to the the inequalities and suppression of religious state governance, because in many respects minorities in Indonesia. the state presence has been especially strong I use this framework for the examination in the field of “agama”. The convincing of religious legal provisions, ethnographic argument for this is that the state operation researches, and reports on practices of of “agama” becomes the key index of “agama” and its socio-political aspects, citizenship. A valid question for us may be: mostly from sources available only in Bahasa “what is the meaning of “agama” as informed Indonesia and never before scrutinized with by the state policies and how citizenship is a view to their relevance for understanding reinforced or subverted by this meaning?” contemporary religious discourse in This question was inspired by Ton Salman’s Indonesia. article (Salman, 2004: 30). Later I propose that the influence of Consider “agama” as something that the discourse of “agama” is significant we believe we already understand and in informing the concept of Indonesian that we actually know the word, then what citizenry and that the formation of “agama” surprising difficulty there is in endowing helped fashion a strategy of exclusion and “agama” with a contextualized definition. containment of Indonesian minorities. How This is made even more difficult because the the discourse is produced and sustained, as discursive domain of “agama” is politics. So, we will discuss later, is related to the politics the effort to put “agama” in perspective here of exclusion: some people are disqualified is to answer the Foucauldian questions: what from protection of Indonesian law based kind of assumptions, what kinds of familiar, on a view that these people have no claim unchallenged, unconscious modes of thought to sharing the rights those members of the are written into, and often hidden within, six “official” religions enjoy as “legitimate” “agama?” How has such discourse been able Indonesian citizens.