Contesting religion and ethnicity in Madurese society

This paper describes historical phases of Madurese identity construction, the origins of Madurese ethnicity, inter-ethnic and inter-cultural relation, Madurese Pendalungan culture, and how Islam involves into cultural identities of the Madurese. In this paper, I will argue that Islam has become part of cultural values of the Madurese, that is, embedded within traditional activities and local wisdom. However, the involvement does not mean to exclude other “non-Islamic” and “non-Madurese” tradition in the process of construing Madurese identity. By exploring how Madurese identity was culturally constructed we could be able to draw more visible connection between religion, tradition, and social identity. This paper illustrates how Madurese identity culturally produced, nurtured, and matured. Since identity is a way of perceiving, interpreting, and representing the existence of people, I persist that Madurese identity has also been produced and reproduced depending on political, social, and cultural situation. In this regard, inter-religious or inter-ethnic relation remains important.