Guest Talk Mirjam Lücking

6 November 2023, 18:15
Room L 155
Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology
Oettingenstraße 67
80538 München

Dr. Mirjam Lücking (LMU München):

Shopping and Charity: Indonesian Tourists' Monetary Care for Israel and Palestine

Indonesia and Israel do not share diplomatic relations and as home to the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia is often considered an "enemy country" in Israel and a faithful ally of Palestine. Interestingly, in recent years, Indonesians have developed an increased interest in Israel-Palestine, which among other things includes religiously motivated touristic travels. For Indonesian Christians, a pilgrimage to Jerusalem is their "hajj" and for Indonesian Muslims a visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque follows a hadith that recommends pilgrimage to the "farthest mosque". Moreover, Muslim and Christian Indonesians engage with the idea of taking sides for Palestine or Israel but sometimes these divisions are blurred, and their itineraries overlap. Their Israeli and Palestinian counterparts have started to identify people in different countries in Asia as promising partners in business and politics. The example of shopping and charity in this context reveals how religious, economic and political aspects are intertwined.

In this talk, I seek to show how monetary transactions through shopping and charity can create alliances and feelings of care but also contradictions and surprises. This includes the discussion to what extent such activities serve as surrogate conflict within Indonesia.

Considering the current events of terrorism and war, I will include a reflection about polarizations and might adjust the talk, depending on the most recent events.

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