Review Buku "Spiritual Economies: Islam, Globalization, and the Afterlife of Development"

Review Buku Arsip 2011 (Yudi Ahmad Faisal)


Insight the Book

Contemporary Indonesia shows many facets of religious experience with different attitudes towards modernity. Some of them realize modernity as an inevitable human achievement, while the others stand in a way to replace it. There is no linear way to depict the complexity of religious attitudes in the modern Indonesia to the notion of modernity. A book which is entitled “Spiritual Economies: Islam, Globalization, and the Afterlife of Development” analyses one of the religious resurgence patterns that is argued can be part of neoliberalism and globalization.

The author of this book elaborates the term spiritual economies in three different stages. Firstly, he conceptualizes the complex notion of neoliberalism and globalization into mere practical aspects that are limited to several concrete policies: economic liberalization, political liberalization, and privatization. By doing this limitation, he could develop an argument that spiritual reform supports such policies. Secondly, he develops a thesis that the spiritual economies is contrary to “occult economies” thesis, which portrays religious resurgence is kind of a refuge as a result of progressive modernization. Meanwhile, the spiritual economies argue that mobilization of religious principles is not subjected to alienate oneself into a set of practices outside the framework of neoliberalism rather it is designed to “transform oneself into a different type of being” (Asad, 1993 and Weber, 2002 in Rudnyckyj). Spiritual economies hence identifies religion as an intrinsic spirit of a new economic culture, neoliberalism. Finally, he proposes three different propositions to depict spiritual economies’ concept.

He formulates his argument of an assemblage of Islamic and capitalist tenets in the contemporary Indonesia from an ethnographic research in contemporary Indonesia, particularly in a training institution which defines itself as a spiritual and emotional training that held by a commercial-based entity[1] named ESQ (Emotional and Spiritual Quotient), which actively offer their “spiritual” services to state-owned companies, government institutions, and private business entities. This training is assumed by the author generates spiritual reformers who later become proponents of initiatives that utilize the Islamic principles with modern principles of management to improve the quality of Indonesia in the global era. The author develops assumptions which are generally extracted from the prevailing belief of training’s trainers and participants who depict the multidimensional crisis in Indonesia, for instance, corruption, ineffectiveness, lack of accountability and transparency, and fairness is caused by a separation of religious ethics from the economic practices. From these studies he defines that religious subjects who are represented by the participants of the training could become productive economic subjects. As a result, it is understandable when he compares this study with another social fact that shows the rigidity of religious revival towards the notion of modernity.

While the book sees this new religious movement as it is, I would like to examine the pattern of this movement from the different point of view. It is interestingly to say that, in the one side, the movement consider themselves as part of modernity by cultivating spirituality in the form of a unique training, but in the other side, they involve in a process of rationalization and experience the problem of meaningless[2]. They deliberately associate some of Quranic verses with modern scientific achievements, and management principles. By doing so, they involve in a process of rationalization of religious doctrine to address the problem of its meaningless when it deals with current economic environment. As a result, this movement is actually a kind of reaction against cultural and social differentiation but in the homogenous way as it does not contravene the established structure of modernity in the forms of economic globalization and neoliberalism. Rational responses of religious doctrines to new circumstances situate religious sources, i.e. Quranic verses, related to other interpretations. This kind of apologetic movement tries to rejuvenate the religious doctrine to be fit with economic globalization principles. In the case of ESQ training, they often use particular Quranic verses to support some theories, for instance, the governance’s theory of accountability, responsibility, and fairness. It seems that particular Quranic verses are inherent with such theories.

It can be argued that the author constructs his argument in the framework of Marx Webber’s work[3], which analysed that religion and modernization stand in a symbiotic relationship. A that time, Weber’s thesis was contrary to the main assumption of secularization that often remarked religion and modernity were contradictive. The main thesis of this book seems reawakening of Weber’s study that the religious resurgences in the case of Indonesia is not contrary to modernity, but it is part of it and significantly contribute to the enhancement of the neoliberalism’s policies.

His argument on spiritual economies concept is articulated in three different propositions: (1) objectifying spirituality as a site of management and intervention, (2) reconfiguring work as a form of worship and religious duty, and (3) inculcating ethics of individual accountability that are deemed commensurability with neoliberal norms of transparency, productivity, and rationalization for purposes of profit (Rudnyckyj, p.131-32). These three components are very critical in his thesis because the idea of integration between Islam and neoliberalism is heavily based on these conceptions. The first proposition formulates spirituality as an object to be utilized in the light of modern management framework. “Activating” the spirituality is thus a core element in which ESQ training operated. The main intention of this activation process is to direct the participants to be more concern on self-management by transforming their work into a kind of religious devotion. This first element is seen as a foundation to other propositions. The next proposition reconfigures “labor as a form of religious worship”. The workplace is therefore conceived as a worship field. In explaining the second component, the author makes a comparison with Marx Weber’s work Protestant Ethics and Spirit of Capitalism. He argues that protestant ethics which were conducive to modern capitalist economy took place in a kind of contingencies and unintentional. Meanwhile, the spiritual ethics in the case of spiritual economies are intentionally developed by design. The situation exemplifies that the spiritual economies at the same time combine morality, political, and economic reform. The final proposition is “the inculcation of ethics of individual accountability that are commensurable with neoliberal norms of transparency and efficiency”. Hence, moral and spiritual cultivations are not end of the training stage, but it is as a beginning to eliminate major obstacles including corruption that were facing, particularly by the research site, Krakatau Steel, and generally by the nation.


To connect the idea that religious principles fit with the neoliberalism, the author at first conceptualizes neoliberalism as concrete notions in the forms of particular economic policies, and secondly asserts that the spiritual reform seeks subjective common grounds with neoliberalism. Neoliberalism term is decisively limited by the author to merely practical aspects that, as developed by the author, portray neoliberalism. He therefore uses the concept is contrary with neoliberalism’s notion developed by Foucault (2008; 318 in Rudnyckyj) and Hoffman (2006 in Rudnyckyj). He further argues that three practical aspects of neoliberalism in the forms of economic liberalization, political liberation, and privatization inevitably influenced his research site, Krakatau Steel, a government business enterprise in Steel production. The implications of such policies, for instances, reducing of tariff on imported steel, reducing state subsidies would eventually affect the existence of this company. This situation becomes a point of departure to formulate his idea about a moderate spiritual reform movement that is not opposed the neoliberalism as represented by such policies. He argues that spiritual reform tries to transform their workplace becomes a worship place to gain after-life reward. Hence, they do not challenge such policies rather they see it as an opportunity to enhance their “spirituality”. By this situation, it is understandable when the author situates religious principles as the inner spirit that enhances the existence of neoliberalism’s principles.

Salam

Yudi Ahmad Faisal

References[1] ESQ is a commercial based business that ears their income from the participant contribution that varies from 200 GBP to 300 GBP per training. http://www.esqway165.com/id/


[2] Turner, S., Bryan, Politics and Culture in Islamic Globalism, in R. Robertson and W.R. Garret (eds) Religion and Global Order. Religion and the Political Order, 1991, pp.161-81


[3] Protestant Ethics and Spirit of Capitalism