Abstract (Summary)
This dissertation is an in-depth case study of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and its relations with the Indonesian state during the New Order period (1984-1997). The dissertation analyses the choices and behavior of an organization operating within the constraints of an authoritarian political environment. Also examined are internal structure and dynamics of NU as they affect the ability of its leader to respond effectively to the state.
Despite enjoying the power resources implied by its status as a mass-based and externally autonomous movement, the highly decentralized and internally divided character of NU undermined its overall cohesiveness, ultimately diminishing the ability of its central leadership to respond effectively to the New Order state. These conditions, compounded by a weakened economic, political and organizational capacity of NU, contributed in part to the state's dominance over it.
This case study therefore suggests that whether a social organization is autonomous or co-opted does not automatically imply effectiveness or ineffectiveness in its relations with the state. Rather, the effectiveness of societal groups, such as NU depends on having access to the state and the means by which to mobilize resources in response state actions. Without the necessary political, economic and organizational capacity, an autonomous NU remains weak in the face of a highly centralized state apparatus.
This study also suggests how the pursuit of autonomy within a highly authoritarian and constricting political context may have been inimical to NU's overall strength. In contrast to the net advantage derived by NU in the middle 1980s from its policy of accommodating the New Order, the trade-offs incurred from a strategy of autonomy and neutrality toward the state pursued by the organization a decade later far exceeded any benefits gained. Political accommodation in the middle 1980s brought to NU a renewed sense of legitimacy in the religious and social spheres. The strategy of political distancing from the Suharto regime in the early 1990s, however, led to overt state interference in the internal affairs of NU. NU leaders also became mired in fears and insecurities regarding the organization's survival, further weakening NU in its relations with the state.
| Advisor: | Emmerson, Donald K. |
| School: | The University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| School Location: | United States -- Wisconsin |
| Keyword(s): | Islamic, Society, Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama");'>Nahdlatul Ulama, Accommodation, Autonomy |
| Source: | DAI-A 60/06, p. 2202, Dec 1999 |
| Source type: | Dissertation |
| Subjects: | Political science, Religion, Social structure |
| Publication Number: | AAT 9917122 |
| ISBN: | 9780599355453 |
| Document URL: | http://proquest |
| ProQuest document ID: | 733510641 |
No comments:
Post a Comment