Catholic youth and nationalist identity in Java, Indonesia

ABSTRACT With a focus on contemporary religion, this article considers Catholic youth in Muslim-majority Indonesia who are active in the public sphere and committed to the cause of nationalist unity. A current push by Islamist extremists threatens and excludes those of other faiths. Young Catholics are sometimes made to feel as though they do not belong in the modern imaginings of caliphate and enforced Shari’a law. They find the marginalisation deeply disturbing since they feel strong loyalty to the nation. Some turn inward, focusing on Catholic orthopraxy and service to the diocese. Others direct their energies to interfaith dialogue and alliance, seeking political influence through solidarity with moderate Muslims. A lived religion approach based on the work of Ammerman (2014) and Laksana and Wood (2019) allows us to understand the imbrication of Catholic and nationalist identities through the analysis of interview data.