The Quest for Indonesian Islam: Contestation and Consensus Concerning Veiling
Abstract
This study examines various transformations in the practice of veiling which have involved changes in its meaning for Indonesian Muslims. It concentrates on a forty-year period from the New Order to the Reform Era. In particular, it focuses on the interplay between the practice of wearing the veil and the changing social and political constellation in Indonesia, and relates these to the presence of both contestation and consensus regarding veiling among Indonesian Muslims. After conducting one year’s fieldwork in some regions of Indonesia, I found significant changes in how Muslims negotiate their daily lives in connection with the idea of veiling. While a ‘relaxed’ form of veiling has long been practiced by santri (devout) Muslims, veiling has assumed an absolute meaning for other Muslims, especially since the increasing Islamisation of various social classes. The practice of veiling has become pervasive among Muslims: at the same time, it is intertwined with fashion trends, commercialisation and the expression of personal and religious identity. ...
NOTE: This work has been published by Lambert Academic Publishing and is available at: https://www.lap-publishing.com/catalog/details/store/gb/book/978-3-8443-8928-9/anatomy-of-muslim-veils