Negotiating Salafism: Local Muslim Identity and Religious Adaptation in Banten

Rusyadi, Refki, Degaf, Agwin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8551-0867, Aziz, Muhammad Sulthon and Sirad, Mochamad Chobir (2025) Negotiating Salafism: Local Muslim Identity and Religious Adaptation in Banten. Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam, 15 (2). pp. 429-458. ISSN 2088-7957

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Abstract

The growth of Salafism has produced persistent tensions within the syncretic Islamic identity of Banten, a region where local traditions are firmly rooted in religious beliefs and practices. This research explores how Bantenese Muslims navigate interactions between transnational Salafi teachings and inherited forms of religiosity. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork, the study reveals that younger Muslims in urban settings are more frequently exposed to Salafi interpretations through education and social networks, whereas rural communities tend to maintain long-established traditions. These uneven encounters give rise to a religious landscape that is both fragmented and adaptive. Using Berger and Luckmann’s theory of the social construction of reality, the article demonstrates how externalization, objectivation, and internalization processes shape patterns of religious negotiation. It introduces the concept of selective adaptation to illustrate how global Islamic movements intersect with, rather than displace, local religious identities. The findings show that Bantenese Muslims selectively adopt, reinterpret, or resist Salafi teachings, highlighting that religious change is context-dependent and strongly influenced by enduring local traditions.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	Salafism; local Islamic identities; religious transformation; syncretic Islam; Islam in Banten; transnational Islamic movements.
Subjects:	22 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES > 2204 Religion and Religious Studies > 220403 Islamic Studies
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities > Department of English Language and Letters
Depositing User:	Dr. Agwin Degaf
Date Deposited:	09 Jan 2026 08:17

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