Ms Mutmainna Syam

Mutmainna Syam is a Ph.D. candidate at Humboldt University of Berlin and a Research assistant in the SIDIT (Secularity, Islam, and Democracy in Indonesia and Turkey) project. She holds an M.Sc. in International Relations from Gazi University, Turkey, and B.A from Hasanuddin University. She is also a 2020 APSA Asia Fellow.

Education and Democratization in Indonesia: The Case of Makassar

In the post-Reformasi era, Indonesia’s successful democratic transition faces challenges: the rise of conservatism, Islamic majoritarianism, and the mainstreaming of intolerance. Taking Makassar as an example, this paper exxplores how polarization of Islamic organizations in the education sector took place and how this has undermined local democratisation efforts. It also examines the intertwining of the national policy on education, curricula, and textbooks provided in schools. My research finds that competition between religious authorities, national policies and curricula have all contributed to democratisation in Indonesia.