Religious Pluralism in Indonesia

Chiara Formichi is Associate Professor in Asian Studies at Cornell University. She is author of Islam and Asia. Follow her on X @chiaraformichi.

• 1. The Limits of Pancasilaasa Framework for Pluralism, by Chiara Formichi2. Islamism and the Struggle for Inclusive Citizenship in Democratic Indonesia, by Robert Hefner3. The Rise of Islamist Majoritarianism in Indonesia, by Sidney Jones4. Making the Majority in the Name of Islam: Democratization, Moderate-Radical Coalition, and Religious Intolerance in Indonesia, by Kikue Hamayotsu5. Deity Statue Disputed: The Politicization of Religion, Intolerance, and Local Resistance in Tuban, East Java, by Evi Sutrisno6. The Tragedy of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, by Mona Lohanda7. Regulating Religion and Recognizing Animist "Beliefs" in Indonesian Law and Life, by Lorraine Aragon8. From Imposed Order to Conflicting Superdiversity: The Tamil Hindu and Their Neighborsin Medan, by Silvia Vignato9. Saints, Scholars, and Diplomats: Religious Statecraft and the Problem of "Moderate Islam" in Indonesia, by James Hoesterey10. Agama Hindu under Pressure from Muslim and Christian Proselytizing, by Michele Picard11. Dispelling Myths of Religious Pluralism: A Critical Look at Maluku and North Maluku, by Christopher R. Duncan

As this lively, informative multi-author volume shows, Islamists from the beginning argued that Indonesia should be an Islamic state, and they pressed this demand with renewed force after the country's transition to democracy in 1998.(Foreign Affairs) Readers interested in Indonesia from a more comparative perspective might have benefitted from more comparisons from farther afield, but they will gain very useful overviews especially from the first two chapters by Chiara Formichi and Robert Hefner, who skillfully disentangle the complicated landscape of religious and political actors.(The University of British Columbia) Finally, Duncan provides an mportant account of the very real tensions that continue to exist between Christians and Muslims in Maluku and North Maluku.(Sojourn)