Yogyakarta, 19 August 2019—Under a collaboration with the University of Melbourne, Fisipol UGM held a workshop in the form of focus group discussion entitled “Research Workshop on Political Islam in Indonesia and Turkey.” This workshop was aimed to provide a comprehensive discussion on political Islam in Indonesia and Turkey. This workshop was held on the 4th floor of the Fisipol UGM building, from 9 am until 3 pm.
Indonesia and Turkey were chosen due to their similarities. In the contemporary era, both have experienced Islamic populism and radicalism. Historically, left-wing parties have also influenced the politics of both states. Research has shown that cities that were once dominated by left-wing parties in the past tend to shift to support Islamic parties today. This research workshop discussed further on this ideological shift.
Furthermore, this research also attempted to find the correlation between this shift and the process of modernization. With neo-liberal economic policies being enacted, socio-economical inequality has also skyrocketed, which has fueled frustration among the general public, especially the youth. Islamic parties then fill the gap that was left by left-wing parties, gaining the support of the commoners.
Such explanation can be used to understand more about the rise of Islamic populism. An example of the rise of Islamic populism can be seen in the domination of the AKP Party in Turkey, as well as the mass demonstrations against the former Governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. At the same time, such findings were also used to criticize liberal ideals in the process of modernization and democratization.
Through this workshop, Fisipol UGM and the University of Melbourne hoped to provide holistic explanations in regards to social, economical and political changes. This is one of Fisipol UGM’s contributions in mitigating the existing social issues, as well as maintaining democracy, both in Indonesia and elsewhere in the world.