Interfaith dialogue at the grassroots level: A case study of an interfaith empowerment program in East Java, Indonesia

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Interfaith dialogue is commonly used in building peace and understanding among religious groups. Such a project, however, is only significant if it is not only executed by religious leaders and scholars, but also involves lay people at the grassroots level. In this article, I present findings of my fieldwork in a small village in East Java, Indonesia where land authority problems became a common ground for conducting interfaith cooperation. I observed interfaith empowerment efforts led by a group of Catholic activists and students who arrived in 1997, which successfully supported the villagers in claiming their land. According to Knitter (1995), grassroots interfaith cooperation will necessarily be followed by interfaith dialogue. My general finding is that in communities that have a lack of knowledge of their own particular religions, subsequent dialogue may take other forms which are different from that of Knitter's description.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)79-92
Number of pages13
JournalPolitical Theology
Volume9
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2008

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • grassroots empowerment
  • human dignity
  • interfaith cooperation
  • interfaith dialogue

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