Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Islam and Popular Culture in Indonesia and Malaysia

http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/asc/conference/


The Powers and Limits of Cyberspace: Indonesian Progressive Islam Networks

The production of Islamic discourse has increasingly taken place in the cyber-space, arguably not as a replacement, but as an ambivalent alternative to the traditional spheres of school, mosque, and literature. The Digital Age witnesses the dual if not paradoxical functions of globalization: democratization/pluralization and authoritarianization/homogenization of religious discourse. Although all Muslim groups perceive the Web as advantageous, the conservative groups would become more conservative, and the progressive more progressive, conditioned by the greater virtual sense of difference and otherness facilitated by the Information Communication Technologies (ICTs). The websites, mailing lists, discussion forums, on-line editorials, on-line fatwas, blogging, and friendship networks, serve as a cross-cultural, cross-boundary media, but at the same time serve as a marker and a tehnological tool for furthering the previously and traditionally held ideologies and discourses. The Digital Age certainly has allowed more interaction between the activists or the makers of Islamic discourse and their audience, but has not necessarily witnessed more interaction and dialogue among competing religious ideologies. This paper will analyze the role of the ICTs in the rise of Islamic progressive networks, and their powers and limits in the construction of new religious discourses, with a special reference to the Progressive Islam Network and Liberal Islam Network. The main question will be: how democractic is cyber-Islam after all?

4 comments:

Sara said...

Greetings! I am a student in Pittsburgh and unfortunately missed your presentation today on Progressive Islam Networks in Indonesia. If possible, can you please send me a copy of your presentation to: sara.farooqi@gmail.com.

You might also be interested to know about Muslims for Progressive Values, a U.S. based 501c3. There is an LA group that meets twice monthly (I just moved to Pit. from So. Cal).

Regards,

Sara Farooqi
Sociology and Islamic Cultural Studies
Pitzer College '08

Dr. Muhamad Faisal Ashaari said...

Assalamualaikum.

I am PhD student at International Islamic Univeristy of Malaysia. Im happy if you can send a copy of your presentation to myfaisal@gmail.com

FYI, I am doing my phd on Islam and IT.

Regard,

Muhamad Faisal Ashaari
PhD Candidate
Department of Usuludin and Comparative Religion,
International Islamic Univeristy of Malaysia.

Muhamad Ali said...

Hi Sara and Muhammad Faisal, I will send you the paper.

Thanks,
M.Ali

Anonymous said...

Assalamualaikum.
Mas Ali, Perkenalkan saya Danus mahasiswa Pascasarjana komunikasi UI, saat ini saya sedang menyusun tesis tentang realitas perkembangan media islam di Indonesia, saya dapat info dari kuliah Pak Ishadi tentang seminar di Pittsburgh, bisakah Mas Ali mengirimkan copy tulisan untuk saya baca, danus_raharjanto@yahoo.com

Terimaksih banyak Mas Ali