CONVERSION TO ISLAM, IDENTITY TRANSFORMATION AND AMERICAN WOMEN
ABSTRACT
Zulfi Zumala Dwi Andriani. 2020. Conversion to Islam, Identity Transformation, and American Women. Dissertation, Study Program of Language and Literature Education, Postgraduate Program of Universitas Negeri Surabaya. Advisors: (1) Prof. Budi Darma, M.A., Ph. D, dan (2) Pratiwi Retnaningdyah, M.A., Ph.D
Kata Kunci : Religious Conversion, Identity Transformation, Conversion Narrative
Islam di Amerika berkembang secara pesat beberapa tahun terakhir; PEW research center melaporkan bahwa populasi Muslim AS mencapai 3,35 juta orang dari berbagai usia. Saat ini komunitas Muslim Amerika terdiri dari berbagai latar belakang etnis dan profesi yang sangat beragam, termasuk imigran, mualaf, dan penduduk asli Amerika, mereka telah menjadi bagian dari masyarakat Amerika. Salah satu momentum Islam di Amerika adalah peristiwa 9/11 yang berdampak pada fenomena berpindah agama Islam. Penelitian ini membahas tentang fenomena pindah agama Islam di kalangan perempuan kulit putih Amerika yang mereka tuangkan dalam bentuk memoir.
Penelitian ini menjawab dua rumusan masalah: (1) Bagaimana proses konversi agama yang direpresentasikan dalam tiga memoar? (2) Bagaimana transformasi identitas mualaf perempuan Amerika yang terrepresentasikan dalam tiga memoar? Penelitian ini mengkaji perpindahan agama berdasarkan dua dimensi, yaitu personal dan sosial. Ketujuh tahapan konversi Agama oleh Lewis Rambo menemukan adanya keterkaitan antara perubahan personal dan sosial, yang mengarah pada transformasi identitas. Transformasi Identitas dibahas menggunakan teori psikososial Erik Erikson, terutama empat perkembangan psikososial yang terakhir; are identity, intimacy, generativity, and despair.
Berdasarkan temuan penelitian, terdapat dua dimensi utama yang mempengaruhi proses konversi agama, yaitu dimensi personal dan dimensi sosial. Secara personal, ada beberapa aspek yang mempengaruhi proses konversi yang direpresentasikan dalam tiga memoar, seperti memori masa kecil dan peran keluarga. Aspek lingkungan di luar keluarga juga mempengaruhi proses konversi seperti kehilangan teman, kehidupan kampus, jenis buku bacaan dan kesempatan belajar agama lain. Dimensi sosial juga memiliki arti penting dalam proses konversi, karena gejala-gejala sosial yang terjadi dalam suatu komunitas juga merangsang emosi calon mualaf. dalam studi ini, 9/11 merupakan titik balik masyarakat Amerika dalam memandang Islam baik secara negatif dan maupun positif. Transformasi identitas yang terjadi pasca konversi terkait dengan perubahan identitas baik secara personal maupun sosial. Dimensi personal lebih banyak terkait dengan perubahan gagasan dan keyakinan sebagai konsekuensi menjadi Muslim. Sedangkan dimensi sosial berkaitan dengan interaksi dengan keluarga, teman, dan rekan non muslim lainnya.
Kesimpulannya, motif konversi agama Islam adalah sangat personal dan setiap orang dari berbagai latar belakang memiliki kesempatan untuk melalui tahapan pencarian identitas agama dan mengalami momen yang dapat memicu konversi agama. secara sosial, para mualaf wanita Amerika harus menghadapi konflik identitas diri dari wanita kulit putih Amerika yang superior dan menjadi Muslim kulit putih Amerika yang merupakan agama inferior dan minoritas di Amerika.
Keywords : Religious Conversion, Identity Transformation, Conversion Narrative
The development of Islam in America multiplies; the Pew Research Centre reported that the US Muslim population reaches 3.35 million people of all ages (PEW Research Center, 2017). Today, the American Muslim community consists of a vast-ranging background of ethnicities and professions, including immigrants, converts, and indigenous Americans, they have already become part of American society. The major part of Islam in US is the event of 9/11, which has the impact on the phenomena of conversion to Islam. This research is discussing the phenomena of conversion to Islam among American white women through their memoirs as the object of data.
This research revealed two research problems: (1) How is the process of conversion narrative represented in three memoirs? (2) How is the identity transformation of American Women converts reflected in three memoirs? This research is considering religious conversion through two scopes, namely personal and social. The seven stages of Rambo discover the interrelation between personal and social changes, leading to the identity transformation. The transformation identity is discussed through the lens of Erik Erikson's psychosocial stage, mainly the last four of psychosocial development; they are identity, intimacy, generativity, and despair. Those stages remain on revealing the process of conversion from pre-convert to the changing life after conversion.
Based on the finding of the research, there are two main dimensions which underlined the process of conversion, they are personal and social dimension. Personally, there were some aspects which influenced the conversion process as it represented in three memoirs, such as the memory of childhood and the role of family. environmental aspects outside the family also influenced conversion process such as losing friends, campus life, type of reading books and the opportunities to learn other religions. Social dimension also has the significance in the conversion process, because social symptoms that occur in a community also stimulating the emotion of potential convert. in this study, 9/11 was a turning point in the changing American society looking at Islam both negatively and positively. The identity transformation happened in post conversion is related to the changing identity both personally and socially. The personal dimension was much more related to the changing ideas and beliefs as the consequences of being Muslims. while the social dimension related to the interactions with the family, friends, and other non- Muslim colleagues.
The conclusion is that the motive in conversion is very personal and everyone from different backgrounds has the chance to through the phase of searching religious identity and experiencing a moment that can trigger to conversion in any age. indeed, socially, American women converts has to face the self- conflict identity from American white women who are superior race to American white Muslim who are inferior and minority religion in America.