Wednesday (May 14th), the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS) of the Graduate School, Universitas Gadjah Mada, held its regular Wednesday Forum discussion in Classroom 307, 3rd floor of the Graduate School building at UGM. On this occasion, CRCS invited Martin van Bruinessen, Emeritus Professor of Comparative Studies of Modern Muslim Societies at Utrecht University, as the keynote speaker.
Martin van Bruinessen is known as an anthropologist with deep interests in politics, history, and philology. Much of his work lies at the intersection of these disciplines. He has conducted extensive field research in the Kurdistan region (Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria) as well as in Indonesia. In addition, van Bruinessen has experience teaching various courses ranging from Ottoman history and sociology of religion to theories of nationalism.
In his presentation titled “Conversion Errors, Religious Alternatives to Kejawen, and the Disappointments that Follow,” van Bruinessen discussed the phenomenon of the “abangan” communities converting to Christianity or Hinduism following the 1965–1966 killings. Although this event has received some academic attention, in-depth studies on what happened to these communities after their conversion remain limited.
Based on recent observations among Javanese Buddhist communities and the success of Salafi preaching in former Abangan communities, van Bruinessen revealed that, “Many villagers who previously converted began to doubt their choices after discovering that puritan preachers forbade them from continuing traditional practices they valued highly, such as nyadran and bersih desa. Some Christian communities left fundamentalist churches that had flourished in the early 1970s and chose the Javanese Christian Church (Gereja Kristen Jawa), which is more accommodating of local traditions.”
Javanese Buddhist communities also felt alienated by Thai monks who prohibited what they considered “superstitious” practices and found a more suitable form of Buddhism in the Kasogatan sect, which claims to represent an indigenous Buddhist tradition.
Another interesting development is the temporary success of Salafi Islam in Dieng and its current growth in Gunung Kidul. However, van Bruinessen also noted a backlash where people became disillusioned with puritan preachers and tried to return to the forms of religion they previously believed in. In this process, Nahdlatul Ulama appears to be one of the beneficiaries.
The Wednesday Forum, held every Wednesday by CRCS, continues to be an important platform to deepen understanding of various religious and cultural issues, and to promote constructive dialogue among students and lecturers.
Author: Asti Rahmaningrum