VERNACULAR-HYBRID DELIBERATION: DIALECTICS OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN INDIGENOUS WISDOM AND PESANTREN TRADITIONS IN INDONESIA’S GOVERNANCE

Abstract

Indonesia’s governance landscape is characterized by the coexistence of multiple normative systems, where state regulations, pesantren traditions, and indigenous wisdom interact to shape policy-making and political legitimacy. Despite growing scholarly attention to pesantren or indigenous councils separately, little is known about how these institutions communicate, negotiate, and co-produce policy within Indonesia’s decentralized governance framework. This study addresses that gap by examining the dialectics of political communication across four provinces — West Java, Banten, West Sumatra, and South Kalimantan — using a qualitative comparative multi-sited approach. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observations, and document analysis, complemented by secondary datasets from EMIS (2024) and BRWA (2025). The findings reveal that vernacular deliberative spaces — such as bahtsulmasailforums, adat assemblies, and village-level consultations — function as arenas where religious authority, customary norms, and state policies converge. While pesantren act as epistemic policy hubs mediating state agendas and community legitimacy, indigenous councils emerge as active political actors shaping environmental, educational, and land-use policies. Conceptually, this study introduces the notion of vernacular-hybrid deliberation to explain how governance outcomes are negotiated through symbolic authority, cultural narratives, and legal frameworks. Practically, the research underscores the need to integrate pesantren councils and adat assemblies into formal participatory mechanisms, ensuring policies are culturally grounded and democratically legitimate. Beyond Indonesia, this framework offers a globally relevant model for understanding inclusive governance and political communication in multi-normative societies across the Global South.