The Roles of Religious Organizations in the Decline of the Anti-mining Movement in Banyuwangi, East Java

Abstract

Abstract Although the Banyuwangi anti-mining movement clearly has the capacity to grow, this article argues that the movement’s manoeuvres against PT. BSI seem to have become weaker since 2017. The article seeks to explain how the interests of the internal groups within this local social movement have weakened its position and how religious-nationalist organizations, that is, the NU and its affiliates, have manoeuvred to defend the state and the corporation indirectly. The data have been qualitatively collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions (FGD s), and relevant documentary sources. By using the Gramscian concept of hegemony, this article shows that the decline of the anti-mining movement is related to the agenda-setting of individuals and subgroups in the movement, as well as the ability of religious-nationalist pro-mining groups, such as the NU and its affiliates, to use their influence, legitimacy, and ideological rhetoric to this end, combined with some social and political characteristics of East Javanese society.