Proceedings of the 1st Konferensi Internasional Berbahasa Indonesia Universitas Indraprasta PGRI, KIBAR 2020, 28 October 2020, Jakarta, Indonesia

Research Article

New Identity: Becoming a Buddhist in Banyumas, Indonesia, 1965–1980s

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  • @INPROCEEDINGS{10.4108/eai.28-10-2020.2315347,
        author={Puji Sulani and Priyanto Wibowo},
        title={New Identity: Becoming a Buddhist in Banyumas, Indonesia, 1965--1980s},
        proceedings={Proceedings of the 1st Konferensi Internasional Berbahasa Indonesia Universitas Indraprasta PGRI, KIBAR 2020, 28 October 2020, Jakarta, Indonesia},
        publisher={EAI},
        proceedings_a={KIBAR},
        year={2022},
        month={2},
        keywords={religious identity religious conversion communist stereotype javanese buddhist},
        doi={10.4108/eai.28-10-2020.2315347}
    }
    
  • Puji Sulani
    Priyanto Wibowo
    Year: 2022
    New Identity: Becoming a Buddhist in Banyumas, Indonesia, 1965–1980s
    KIBAR
    EAI
    DOI: 10.4108/eai.28-10-2020.2315347
Puji Sulani1,*, Priyanto Wibowo1
  • 1: Universitas Indonesia
*Contact email: puji.sulani@ui.ac.id

Abstract

The followers of local belief (aliran kepercayaan) in Banyumas, Indonesia, were converted to Buddhism between 1965–1980s. This paper discusses the identity changes of the followers of those beliefs in Banyumas into Buddhism in that period. The phenomenon was analyzed using social history approach to understand how the Javanese community in Banyumas constructed their new religious identity. The main finding of this study shows that religious politics and political conflicts during the Old Order to the New Order era were the main causes of their conversion. The argument proposed in this paper is that the religious conversion was an effort to make positioning of their struggle against communist stereotype after the September 30th Movement of 1965.