Envisioning the Nation: Women Activists, Religion and the Public Sphere in Indonesia

Indonesia's Islamic revival has coincided with the growing involvement of women in civil society. Muslim women's organizations are playing an important role in how the Indonesian nation-state is being re-imagined for the 21st century. Muslim women's groups are incubators for women's diverse political activism. The increasing role of Islam in the public sphere provides religious women with an important platform, facilitating their involvement in national debates over issues such as Shariah law, abortion and pornography. Such public sphere debates enfold significant struggles over the relationship between religion and the state. Through their involvement in these debates, Muslim women activists should be seen as participants in the renegotiation of the Indonesian nation-state.