Faith and fandom: young Indonesian Muslims negotiating K-pop and Islam

Abstract

Contemporary scholars in the intersecting field of popular culture and Islamic studies have argued for the importance of researching the ways Muslims engage with, make meaning of, and (re)produce different forms of popular culture. The current study continues these endeavours by examining a hitherto understudied form of popular culture in this field, namely, Korean popular culture. As previous studies on Islam and popular culture have drawn attention to, the focus of this study is on how this specific form of popular culture has been in/compatible with Islamic values, beliefs, and practices. Taking Indonesia as a context, the current study asked: What are the various ways Indonesian Muslim fans negotiate their identities as a Muslim and a K-pop fan? Drawing upon interview data with Indonesian Muslim K-pop fans and publicly available literature such as media reports, news, and websites, the findings exhibited at least four subject positions (available to be) taken up by Muslim K-pop fans, namely, (1) complete opposition, (2) partial opposition, (3) irrelevance, and (4) the interlacing of religious and fan subjectivity. The first two positions are predicated upon a belief that Islam and K-pop culture are in tensions, while the latter two consider there is no tension between one's identity as a Muslim and a K-pop fan. This article contributes to the existing knowledge in the field of Islam and popular culture by offering a nuanced discussion on various possible forms of Muslim K-pop fans' subjectivity.

Acculturation, religiosity, and willingness to accept Korean products among Muslim consumers: an exploratory study

“…Similarly, a study by Khan et al (2018) showed that some South Asian Muslims celebrate holidays from the dominant different religion. Similar behaviour was also found in Elaskary's (2018) and Mulya's (2021) studies. They discovered that some Muslim consumers may assimilate their behaviour by consuming Korean products without considering their halal status or even adapting to Korean fashion and dressing style.…”

“…Mulya (2021) emphasised that religion is not a barrier for Muslim consumers in Indonesia to consume Korean products. Especially Muslim women, many of whom wear veils while emulating Korean culture do not evade social norms or Islamic religious doctrines.…”

“…However, M6 also emphasized, "I still follow my religious principle, I always look for halal certification on Korean products". Mulya (2021) emphasised that religion is not a barrier for Muslim consumers in Indonesia to consume Korean products. Especially Muslim women, many of whom wear veils while emulating Korean culture do not evade social norms or Islamic religious doctrines.…”

Tren Budaya Kontemporer: Interaksi Antara Islam dan Fenomena K-Pop di Kalangan Remaja SMAN 5 Kota Tangerang Selatan

“…Terdiri dari berbagai genre musik seperti Pop, Hip-Hop, R &B, dan Dance Pop. Dengan terus berkembangnya budaya populer, khususnya industri musik K-Pop, pendapatan tahunan mencapai 5 miliar USD (Wijaya Mulya, 2021). Istilah "K-Pop" juga dapat mengacu pada lagu, genre musik, dan tarian yang diciptakan oleh seorang idola, baik dalam grup maupun secara individu (Yenti et al, 2022).…”

Diplomasi Korporat SM Entertainment Melalui New Culture Technology di Asia: Studi Kasus di Indonesia dan Tiongkok

“…Oleh karenanya, dalam proses masuknya budaya asing, khususnya K-pop ke Indonesia, akan memiliki kesenjangan budaya dan pertentangan nilai yang dipengaruhi oleh nilai-nilai Islam yang berkembang di masyarakat Indonesia. Dalam hal ini, K-pop sering dikaitkan dengan seksualitas dan tarian yang menjadi keprihatinan moral Islam (Mulya, 2021). Pertentangan terhadap K-pop lainnya dapat dilihat dengan adanya anggapan bahwa instrumen-instrumen dalam musik populer Korea Selatan sering ditujukan sebagai sebuah bentuk kampanye gaya hidup lesbian, gay, biseksual dan transgender (LGBT) karena adanya kedekatan fisik (skinship) di antara artis Korea sesama jenis.…”