Islam, Populisme, dan Studi di Australia

(A Brief Session with Prof.Vedi Renandi Hadiz)

oleh: Ridho Jun Prasetyo
Kamis, 17 November 2011, tepatnya di ruang seminar timur Fisipol UGM, 11.00-14.30 Wib, ada kunjungan yang cukup spesial menurut saya. Adalah Prof. Vedi R. Hadiz, cendekiawan Indonesia lulusan Ilmu Politik Universitas Indonesia yang kini menjadi peneliti senior di Murdoch University, Australia. Salah seorang Indonesia yang cukup produktif dalam menghasilkan tulisan-tulisan di bidang sosial-politik-ekonomi tidak saja nasional tetapi juga internasional. To mention a few: Wokers and the State in New Order Indonesia (1997); Reorganising Power in Indonesia: The Politics of Oligarchy in an Age of Markets (2004); dan Empire and Neoliberalism in Asia (2006). Saya mengetahui beliau melalui tulisan-tulisan yang beliau publikasikan di Majalah Prisma, terbitan LP3ES. Sebelum pada tahun 2010 yang lalu ia hijrah ke almamater doktoralnya di Murdoch University, Pak Vedi menghabiskan beberapa tahun mengajar di National University of Singapore (NUS) sebagai associate professor pada Department of Sociology.

So, this afternoon he came in his capacity as a research fellow from Asia Research Centre of Murdoch University. Visiting some of universities in Indonesia with two goals: promoting his current research about "The Political Economy of Islamic Populism: Indonesia in Comparative Perspective"; and encouraging Indonesian students to study abroad more and more in Australia, specially for those who has research interest in Asia study. "Asia Research Centre in Murdoch University will be a great venue for those who want to be an international political-social scientist", he said. Mentioning that there are many scholarships offered (I just retype this from the booklet):

• Murdoch International Postgraduate Studentship (MIPS) for Research Degrees: http://www.research.murdoch.edu.au/gradcentre/schol09_mips.html
• Australian Development Scholarship: http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/studyin.cfm
• Australian Leadership Awards (ALA) Scholarships: http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/ala.cfm
• Endeavour Awards: http://www.deewr.gov.au/International/EndeavourAwards/Pages/Home.aspx
• AusAID ACIAR and the John Allwright Fellowship award: http://aciar.gov.au/ ; http://aciar.gov.au/training/jaf
• Dikti Scholarship: http://www.dikti.go.id/

For those wish applying to study at the Asia Research Centre:

• Prospective PhD applicants should download a Thesis Proposal Form from: http://wwwarc.murdoch.edu.au/img/Thesis_Proposal.pdf
• Research PhD applicants from overseas should also download an application for admission to Murdoch University: http://murdoch.edu.au/_document/PDF-Documents/International-PDFs/pg_research_application_editable.pdf
• Coursework Masters applicants from overseas should download an application form from: http://www.murdoch.edu.au/document/PDF-Documents/International-PDFs/pg_coursework_application_editable.pdf
• (*Intending scholarship applicants should contact the Asia Research Centre well in advance to allow us to assist with your application)
• "when your TOEFL score is 570 or your IELTS score is 6.5 minimum, then that will be enough to study in Australia", Pak Vedi said.

Regarding his current research about The Political Economy of Islamic Populism: Indonesia in Comparative Perspective , he said that he offers new approach toward Islamic studies --something that Pak Vedi himself quite new to this study. In the very first place he mentioned why his is novel because most of research and study about Islam by western scholars, even among muslim ourselves, are conducted through security approach. As he rephrased this studied as have been hijacked by "security industries". Meaning that they/most of western scholars explained Politics of Islam merely as Politics of Terrorism. It is nothing more but impoverish the study of Politics of Islam itself. Security approach, according to Pak Vedi, has failed to be a relevant and impartial source since it is only effort to find solution of irrational-suicide bombings, laying its basic arguments on cultural aspects of these irrational individuals, as if analogizing there were some individuals who did irrational actions, tracing why they're doing that equalize it with Islamic historical cultures pf Arab in the 7th century. They tried to explain Islam not from the interpretation of Al-Qur'an verses but only from its external factors or its contexts/society level based analysis such as relation between politics of Islam with the development of Islamic society, with the state, and society with globalization. "This is not right, not enough yet", Pak Vedi said. His approach relying in more real aspects which are more individual, sociology, political-economy, and also history. He stated that using comparative method of Sociological Imagination originally from C. Wright Miils; asking what variable determine certain trajectory in one place that may or may not apply in another place. he comparing Islamic populism in Indonesia with one in Egypt and Turkey.

Prof. Vedi defined general concept of populism as there were some marginalized people because the result of actions of some other. He proposed new concept of Islamic populism. If old concept of populism merely differentiate society in a country in two categories: elite and mass, Pak Vedi put ummah in the middle of elite and mass in Islamic society. Ummah is the one whom alienated in society. In Indonesia context the different between the old and the new one is on the social basis. Old populism in Indonesia picturing Netherlands colonials versus Indonesian small bourgeois which were small land lords and Islamist traders like Sarekat Islam who being discarded by Colonial's government with its highly limited and strict set of rules. Giving so little space for egalitarian indigenous to have rights in economy and education.

New Islamic Populism reflects social changes as consequent of capitalism bad sides. It has three pillars: first is the urban educated middle class whom are the victim of capitalism dreams of social mobilization promised by city modernity. Many of these people feel being tricked by promises of modernity resulting them move from village to city, pursue higher education that lead to good life but mostly ended up with jobless. Unfair, nepotistic, clientelistic competition is the existing situation. It happened when Indonesia hit by economic crisis in 1998 when many managers whom suddenly become jobless and selling cookies; second is Liberalism; and third is The urban poor. Social disparity vividly exist in downtowns. Next he compare many variables, try to find similarities among differences and the other around, like the history of Islam intrusion in Egypt, Turkey and Indonesia; its middle classes in these three countries; interviewing important figures and leaders of institutions, etc.

Well, those are highlights that I rewrite it from my scratch. This is it. mm.. still wondering that someday he will dedicate himself by lecturing in Indonesia :)

sumber:
Majalah Prisma, Vol. 28, Juni 2009; Booklet Asia Research Centre Murdoch University; catatan pribadi