This article aims to see the traditions associated with the existence of the Absolute which will give birth to a unique and distinctive ritual system in the ritual of ruwatan dreadlocks in Dieng. Perception of myths and cultural phenomena with a sublimated perspective and is an innovation for the central tradition in the Ngayogyokarto Hadiningrat Palace. There was a "movement" of the central culture that pulled over (periphery) and manifested itself into a "religious" ritual carried out by the community. The problem that arises is how the ritual tradition of ruwatan dreadlocks is interpreted as a religiosity that is not practiced in the palace, as well as what it means for the people of Dieng. Data were collected using participatory observation methods, in-depth interviews, document studies, and focus group discussions. The analysis uses techniques of deep analysis by applying the perspective rites of passage from Arnold van Gennep and Victor Turner. The result and analysis are that there is a positive compromise between the concept of holiness and more worldly concepts such as economic interests (tourism) which is a form of cultural reaggregation in Dieng.

Identity is the basic principle of the society. The search for identity and effort to build and defend identity is the fundamental struggle for society. Theoretically, the prosperous society depends on the strength of its identity. The society can achieve the social advancement, extraordinary ethos, and creativity because of their strong identity. This article attempts to explain how identity and self-capability contribute to the social advancement. This explanation refers to the thought of the modern gigantic Turkish thinker, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. Exploring the construction of Said Nursi’s concept of Islamic identity and self-capability in developing society, especially in social prosperity and economic progression, this paper attempts to explain the foundation of social and individual prosperity. According to Said Nursi, the development of culture and civilization will be established by powerful identity which constructed by awareness of collective personality (şahs-ı manevi). The powerful identity, therefore, bases on the spirit of self-capability that will raise a progress and development. Referring to Said Nursi, this basic foundation of self-capability developed through three principles, namely self-interest versus self-sacrifice, extravagance versus frugality, and greed versus contentment. Then, by practicing and applying these three values, the prosperity and development can be achieved.  

This current paper explores and analyzes the trend of Sufism discourses and practices among Indonesian Muslim modernist-reformer organizations with special reference to the Muhammadiyah movement. The public tends to categorize Muhammadiyah as an anti-Sufism movement. A close study, however, shows that the existence of Sufism discourse and practices is a clear religious phenomenon among its individual figures and members, although organizationally Muhammadiyah does not recognize the existence of Sufi orders (tarekat). Based on the data collected from subjective-ethnographic notes of the organization’s programs and activities as well as literature studies of the organization documents, this study implements Stephen Katz’s philosophical model. It shows that Muhammadiyah is searching for Islamic spirituality by promoting the authenticity of tasawuf aspects, namely tauh}id or monotheism and akhlaq al-karimah or noble characters as reflected in the concept of ih}san. In this regard, Sufism is defined as a system of values and spirituality, not involved in a particular Sufi order. Muhammadiyah interprets Sufism as ethical values and ethos to do virtuous actions in society.

One of the big questions frequently asked by Senior High School Students who were interested in studying Religious Studies is about the career opportunity of the department’s alumni. Unlike other applied sciences that have a clear path of the alumni’s career, religious studies seem to vague in providing jobs for its alumni due to its pure/basic science characteristic. This paper proposes the possibility to develop applied religious studies to answer such a question. The author traces characteristics of religious studies from a sociology of knowledge perspective and then proposes eight fields of applied religious studies, which from a sociological perspective, meets the need for the implementation of “Freedom to Learn, Independent Campus” (Merdeka Belajar- Kampus Merdeka, MBKM), a policy from Ministry of Education and Culture, the Republic of Indonesia.

A discourse of women empowerment has been understood to be based on social capital , from the existence and the role of women themselves. This article is an attempt to enrich the discourse of women empowerment based on mosque. The function and the role of mosque will be socially linked to the patterns of women’s empowerment in creating food security i.e. rice barns. So far, the function of mosque is seen limited to a place for religious rituals that have a limited implication on its social role. Similarly, the function and the role of women in the village in particular, are also limited in the public sector. By using the constructive theory of Peter L. Berger, the analysis argues that the “culture” of the mosque provides an affinity for village women to develop empowerment models in the form of rice granaries with the patterns of participation and local organizational capacity. Supported by theological values of the mosque’s function and role, both patterns allow women to play their social functions and roles to be more wider.[Wacana pemberdayaan perempuan yang selama ini dipahami merupakan wacana yang berbasis social capital dari eksistensi dan peran perempuan itu sendiri. Artikel ini merupakan upaya untuk memperkaya wacana men- genai pemberdayaan perempuan yang berbasis masjid. Fungsi dan peran masjid secara sosial akan dikaitkan de- ngan pola-pola pemberdayaan perempuan dalam menciptakan ketahanan pangan yakni lumbung padi. Hal yang menarik adalah wacana bahwa masjid difungsikan sebatas pada tempat ritual keagamaan yang berimplikasi pada peran sosialnya yang sangat terbatas. Kemudian perempuan di desa, khususnya, juga dilihat fungsi dan perannya secara terbatas di sektor publik. Analisis dari persoalan ini dilakukan dengan menggunakan teori teori konstruk- sionisme Peter L. Berger. Dari analisis itu dapat dikemukakan bahwa “culture” masjid memberikan afinitas bagi perempuan desa untuk mengembangkan model pemberdayaan dalam bentuk lumbung padi dalam dengan pola par- ticipation dan local organizational capacity. Kedua pola itu memungkinkan perempuan memainkan fungsi dan peran sosialnya yang lebih luas dan didukung oleh values teologis dari fungsi dan peran masjid.]