The Dialectics of Religion and Politics in Indonesia’s Democratic Dynamics

Abstract

This study examines the dialectical relationship between religion and politics in the dynamics of Indonesian democracy using a Systematic Literature Network Analysis (SLNA) approach. The increasing role of religion in public and political life has generated both opportunities and challenges for democratic development, particularly in a plural society such as Indonesia. The main objective of this research is to map the intellectual structure, thematic trends, and scholarly networks المتعلقة with religion and politics, while identifying dominant research themes and their interconnections.

The study employs a mixed analytical approach combining systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. Data were collected from the Scopus database using predefined keywords related to religion, politics, and democracy in Indonesia, covering publications from 2015 to 2025. After applying the PRISMA selection framework, 86 articles were included in the final analysis. The data were analyzed using performance analysis to examine publication trends and citation patterns, and scientific mapping using VOSviewer to identify co-authorship, co-citation, and keyword co-occurrence networks.

The findings reveal that political Islam, religious mobilization, and identity politics are the most dominant themes in the literature. Religion is shown to function as both a moral framework that enhances democratic participation and a political instrument that may contribute to polarization and exclusivism. The results highlight the dialectical nature of religion and politics, where both elements continuously interact and shape each other within democratic processes.

This study contributes to the literature by providing a comprehensive and systematic mapping of research on religion and politics in Indonesia. The use of SLNA offers a novel perspective that integrates quantitative and qualitative insights, revealing the evolving intellectual landscape of the field. The findings have theoretical and practical implications for understanding how religion can be managed within democratic systems to promote inclusivity, stability, and social cohesion.