Abstract
This article explores the trajectory of Chinese folk religion and the institution of klenteng (Chinese temple) within the broader discourse of Chinese religion in Indonesia, spanning from the colonial period to the post-reform era. Employing a historical and anthropological approach, this study examines Chinese religious discourse through Chinese-peranakan publications from the colonial era. It presents contemporary practices of Chinese folk religion and temple life as part of that evolving discourse. Historically and anthropologically, Chinese folk religion has been deeply embedded in the religious life of Chinese communities. However, its resonance has gradually degraded under the dominating religious narratives, particularly due to Christianisation during the colonial era and anti-Chinese politics, as well as religious governance in post-Independence Indonesia. This article takes the case of Muntilan, Central Java, to highlight a distinctive local expression of Chinese folk religion and klenteng culture that diverges from patterns found in major urban centres across Indonesia. This study reveals how Chinese folk religion, though marginalised by both state and elite religious institutions, persists through local ritual practices and temple communities, offering a critical perspective on religious categorisation and state power in postcolonial Indonesia.
Bahasa Abstract
Artikel ini membahas agama rakyat Tionghoa dan klenteng dalam rentang wacana agama Tionghoa di Indonesia dari masa kolonial samapi pasca Reformasi. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan historis untuk mengeksplorasi wacana seputar agama Tionghoa dari publikasi-publikasi peranakan Tionghoa yang diterbitkan sejak masa kolonial dan pendekatan antropologis untuk menghadirkan realitas kontemporer agama rakyat Tionghoa dan klenteng dalam lintasan wacana agama Tionghoa tersebut. Secara historis dan antropologis, agama rakyat Tionghoa telah melebur dalam kehidupan keagamaan Tionghoa. Namun, rupanya relevansinya semakin terkikis akibat berkembangnya wacana agama Tionghoa pada masa kolonial yang bekepentingan untuk melawan kristenisasi dan hegemoni politik agama pada masa Orde Baru di Indonesia. Penelitian ini mengambil Muntilan, Jawa Tengah, sebagai studi kasus untuk menyajikan keunikan historisitas lokal agama rakyat Tionghoa dan komunitas klenteng yang berbeda dengan kota-kota besar di Indonesia. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bagaimana agama rakyat Tionghoa, meskipun terpinggirkan oleh institusi keagamaan negara dan elit, tetap bertahan melalui praktik ritual lokal dan komunitas klenteng, serta menawarkan perspektif kritis terhadap kategorisasi agama dan kekuasaan negara di Indonesia pasca-kolonial.
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Recommended Citation
Aditya, Refan. 2025. FROM CHINESE FOLK RELIGION TO TRIDHARMA: THE TRAJECTORY OF CHINESE RELIGION IN INDONESIA. Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya 15, no. 3 (December). 10.17510/paradigma.v15i3.1804.
