Islam and the New Spirit of 21st Century Capitalism in Indonesia
Speakers: Gwenaël Njoto-Feillard & Mukhaer Pakkana

Since the 1980s, Southeast Asia has witnessed major religions adapting and responding to a new paradigm: global capitalism. Religious mass organizations have begun to foster businesses based on Western management and motivational techniques to mobilize their followers and to fight for a portion of the “salvation goods market”.

Restructured urban life have nurtured a new generation of charismatic figureheads. They speak/lecture about pious materialism and respond to the soul-searching of the middle class.

The discussion analyzes the phenomenon of Islamic capitalism in Indonesia, where the tension between religious ethics and economic rationalism is negotiated from both ideology and structure. It will also explore the less-observed political implications of the tangled relationship between religion and economy.

Gwenaël Njoto-Feillard received his doctorate in Political Science from Institut d’études politiques de Paris and Centre for International Research and Studies. His research interests are entrepreneurship, ethnicity and the commodification of religion in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Mukhaer Pakkana is Chair of Sekolah Tinggi Ekonomi Ahmad Dahlan (STIEAD), Jakarta, and Expert/Advisor for Curriculum at the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Discussion will be conducted in English.