Theorizing Political Martyrdom: Politics, Religion, Death, and Memory

Murphy, Andrew R.

doi:10.1080/1462317x.2022.2125118

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…As we have seen, Murphy (2023) argues for three key phases in the public memory of a "secular" or "political" martyr: (a) unnatural death linked to a cause, (b) consecration of the person as a martyr for that cause, and (c) social/communal transmission of a narrative concerning the person's life. Moreover, he states that the classic religious notion of the martyr often included an element of being socially or politically marginalized, making narratives of hero-martyrs "a classic weapon of the weak" (Murphy, 2023, p. 472).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Discussion of the concept in the religious context has a long scholarly history, but attention has only relatively recently moved to specifically political and secular notions of it (see, for example, Outram & Laybourn, 2018). Murphy (2023) prefers the term "political martyrdom" and differentiates three key elements to the process of martyrdom: firstly, an "unnatural" death linked to the martyr's identity or political commitments; secondly, the "consecration" of the martyr's death in a community/social group; and finally, the transmission of narratives relating to the martyr's death (and life).…”

Section: Martyrs and Memorymentioning

confidence: 99%

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“The Flower and the Wall”: Poet‐Activist Wiji Thukul and Progressive Martyrdom in Post‐Suharto Indonesia

Miller,

Sibarani

2024

PaG

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<p>Since the fall of Major-General Suharto’s “New Order” regime, Indonesia has struggled to deal with its authoritarian legacy. This article argues that in the quarter of a century since his disappearance, the Indonesian poet-activist Wiji Thukul (1963–1998?) has become a martyr for the still unfulfilled progressive ideals of the Reformasi (reform) movement that helped to bring down that regime in 1998. Using the developing body of theory around “secular” or “political” martyrdom, this article examines the process by which this status has been achieved, situating its development alongside the emergence of the Refusing to Forget movement, as well as comparing and contrasting his fate with that of two other candidates for the label of Reformasi martyr: those of the labour activist Marsinah (1969–1993) and the human rights lawyer Munir Said Thalib (1965–2004). It argues that Thukul’s role as a martyr has been significant in maintaining progressive public discourse about the human rights abuses of the Suharto period, as well as the continuing illiberalism of the period since the end of the regime, and that Thukul remains relevant to efforts to stimulate and nurture the fragile democratisation project that was initiated in the late New Order period. In particular, the authors see Thukul’s brand of grassroots creative practice as playing a central role in his emergence as a progressive icon and in giving his life and work international significance.</p>

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Martyrs and Memorymentioning

confidence: 99%