What’s the matter?: The meaning of halal culture for Indonesian Muslims

ABSTRACT

In modern history, the availability and affordability of a range of commodities that cater to the specific needs of consumers have permeated globally. While most brands that dominate global markets remain ‘Western’, their spread and adoption in Asia have been met with various specific cultural responses. Such is the case with Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country and the largest economy in Southeast Asia. There has been rising halal consumerism in at least the past two decades, which some have understood as a response towards global economic changes. This article aims to understand the meaning of halal, or permissible according to Islamic doctrines, as felt by young Muslims (18–35 years) in the capital city of Jakarta. It analyses semi-structured interviews with 120 young Muslims in Jakarta’s capital city in 2018 and 2020. It finds that the meaning of halal in Indonesia is shaped by and practised within the material conditions of global market capitalism. This article finds that halal practices include the production and consumption of halal goods and services, where Muslim workers and consumers strive to maintain Islamic lawfulness within neoliberal market settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Indonesia
• Islam
• halal
• practice
• meaning

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the editors of this special issue, as well as Hilda Balqis for her kind help.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Indonesian Higher Educations’ Basic Research Grant [grant number 021/E5/PG.02.0.PT/2022].

Notes on contributors

Inaya Rakhmani

Inaya Rakhmani is associate professor at the Department of Communication and the Inaugural Director of the Asia Research Centre, Universitas Indonesia. She is author of Mainstreaming Islam in Indonesia, published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2016.