UCLA

Through ethnographic fieldwork, this dissertation examines the culture of sholawat in Indonesia, a festive public event marked by a combination of prayer songs and sermons among Muslims. In this setting, the style of Indonesian Islam, what Indonesians label as Islam Nusantara, is represented through the unique engagement of sholawat performers through various forms of institutional affiliations. The research locates a Sufi-inspired Islamic revival scene that is representative of a modern and synergetic Islamic ethos, which Indonesian Muslims believe is an ideal model for the Muslim world. Several institutional interests develop from within this milieu, namely the pragmatic involvement in religious education the government undertook at the turn of the 21st century. Because of such actions, a whole generation of individuals embrace and develop artistic religious expressions in various ways. Consequently, more Indonesian citizens are allowed to enter public platforms that artistically mediate religious authority, traditional discourses, and contemporary religious sentiments. The subjects of the ethnography are seen as articulators of the founding energy of the Islamic umma. The fieldwork was conducted in Central Java, particularly in the cities of Yogyakarta and Surakarta, both of which are known to host a variety of examples of this practice.