The Role of Islam and Christianity in Public Space. Perspectives from Indonesia and Germany

This article examines the role of academic lived space and the civil sphere in fostering interreligious engagement within Indonesian university campuses and broader society. While Indonesian classrooms have long functioned as lived spaces for interreligious dialogue, grassroots initiatives have further cultivated a civil sphere conducive to mutual interreligious interaction. This study draws on case examples from the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS) at Gadjah Mada University, the MSA/DSA programs at Satya Wacana Christian University, and the hip hop music communities in Ternate-Tobelo and Ambon. Grounded in Martina Löw’s (2016) theory of space and Jeffrey Alexander’s (2006) concept of the civil sphere, this paper investigates pedagogical practices within these academic institutions and the cultural expressions of hip hop groups emerging from post-conflict regions, as avenues for interreligious engagement. Utilizing ethnographic methods, the study is based on participant observation and in-depth interviews conducted with members of interreligious communities. The findings suggest that both academic settings and civil society spaces have served as vital lived arenas for interreligious interaction in Indonesia, shifting the discourse from religious conversion to constructive interreligious conversation.