Shifting from Religious Populism to Authoritarian Populism: Two Decades of Identity Politics Dynamics in Indonesia

This article aims to answer the question of whether identity-based movements are free from tendencies in political economy. By analyzing the actions and orientations of the militant Islamic group from the New Order to the Reform era, we show that social movements based on cultural identities are far...

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Main Authors: Arina Rohmatul Hidayah, Atwar Bajari, Dadang Rahmat Hidayat, Eni Maryani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/1/45
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author Arina Rohmatul Hidayah
Atwar Bajari
Dadang Rahmat Hidayat
Eni Maryani
author_facet Arina Rohmatul Hidayah
Atwar Bajari
Dadang Rahmat Hidayat
Eni Maryani
author_sort Arina Rohmatul Hidayah
collection DOAJ
description This article aims to answer the question of whether identity-based movements are free from tendencies in political economy. By analyzing the actions and orientations of the militant Islamic group from the New Order to the Reform era, we show that social movements based on cultural identities are far from representing the demands of groups of recognition. Rather, these movements are leveraged as political tools for the executive group in determining dominant issues among the public to increase voter preferences and bring economic benefits to militant Islamic groups. This is insisted upon through a shift in political trends from religious populism to authoritarian populism. We argue that a possible solution could be prioritizing democratic values that lead to performance and integrity, not sectoral interests that can create fragmentation in society.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2076-0760
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Social Sciences
spelling doaj-art-6273d5ea94e6429eb182d3e3da547c852025-01-24T13:49:47ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602025-01-011414510.3390/socsci14010045Shifting from Religious Populism to Authoritarian Populism: Two Decades of Identity Politics Dynamics in IndonesiaArina Rohmatul Hidayah0Atwar Bajari1Dadang Rahmat Hidayat2Eni Maryani3Faculty of Communication Sciences, Padjadjaran University, Bandung 45363, IndonesiaFaculty of Communication Sciences, Padjadjaran University, Bandung 45363, IndonesiaFaculty of Communication Sciences, Padjadjaran University, Bandung 45363, IndonesiaFaculty of Communication Sciences, Padjadjaran University, Bandung 45363, IndonesiaThis article aims to answer the question of whether identity-based movements are free from tendencies in political economy. By analyzing the actions and orientations of the militant Islamic group from the New Order to the Reform era, we show that social movements based on cultural identities are far from representing the demands of groups of recognition. Rather, these movements are leveraged as political tools for the executive group in determining dominant issues among the public to increase voter preferences and bring economic benefits to militant Islamic groups. This is insisted upon through a shift in political trends from religious populism to authoritarian populism. We argue that a possible solution could be prioritizing democratic values that lead to performance and integrity, not sectoral interests that can create fragmentation in society.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/1/45identity politicspolitical economic interestreligious populismauthoritarian populismcritical hermeneutics
spellingShingle Arina Rohmatul Hidayah
Atwar Bajari
Dadang Rahmat Hidayat
Eni Maryani
Shifting from Religious Populism to Authoritarian Populism: Two Decades of Identity Politics Dynamics in Indonesia
Social Sciences
identity politics
political economic interest
religious populism
authoritarian populism
critical hermeneutics
title Shifting from Religious Populism to Authoritarian Populism: Two Decades of Identity Politics Dynamics in Indonesia
title_full Shifting from Religious Populism to Authoritarian Populism: Two Decades of Identity Politics Dynamics in Indonesia
title_fullStr Shifting from Religious Populism to Authoritarian Populism: Two Decades of Identity Politics Dynamics in Indonesia
title_full_unstemmed Shifting from Religious Populism to Authoritarian Populism: Two Decades of Identity Politics Dynamics in Indonesia
title_short Shifting from Religious Populism to Authoritarian Populism: Two Decades of Identity Politics Dynamics in Indonesia
title_sort shifting from religious populism to authoritarian populism two decades of identity politics dynamics in indonesia
topic identity politics
political economic interest
religious populism
authoritarian populism
critical hermeneutics
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/1/45
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AT dadangrahmathidayat shiftingfromreligiouspopulismtoauthoritarianpopulismtwodecadesofidentitypoliticsdynamicsinindonesia
AT enimaryani shiftingfromreligiouspopulismtoauthoritarianpopulismtwodecadesofidentitypoliticsdynamicsinindonesia