Religion and Non-Religion : Anthropology and the Transformation of "Religion" in Post-Independent Indonesia

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of religion developed by the Dutch ethnologist, G. J. Held (1906-1955), and the Indonesian anthropologist, Koentjaraningrat (1923-1999), and it considers the meaning of these in the context of the Indonesia of their time. Since independence, the question of what is and what is not "religion" has been a fiercely debated issue in Indonesia, where religion has been an essential part of being an Indonesian citizen, although the official religion has sometimes changed since independence. Anthropology in Indonesia dates back to the training courses for colonial officers established by the Dutch in the late-nineteenth century, and it has played an important role in academic discussions about culture and religion in Indonesia since the country's independence. Both Held and Koentjaraningrat were professors at the University of Indonesia, and both followed Durkheim's concepts in thinking about what religion or non-religion is and the relationship between them, but the directions of their individual interests produced some differences between their theories. However, their theories were formed as a response to the Indonesian society of the times and implied the transition of Indonesian religion in the present and the future.