INFERENSI: Jurnal Penelitian Sosial Keagamaan

Semantic Bridging in Sharia Financial Literacy: A Culturally Grounded Communication Model for MSMEs in Palu City

Taufik — 2026-03-31

This study develops a contextual communication model that integrates Kaili cultural values with Islamic principles particularly ash-shaffafiyyah (transparency) to strengthen Sharia-based financial literacy among Muslim MSMEs in Palu City. Addressing a critical gap in existing financial literacy programs that prioritize technical instruction while neglecting socio-cultural meaning systems, this research employs a qualitative ethnographic communication approach. Data were collected over six months through participant observation, document analysis, and in-depth interviews with 18 informants, including MSME actors, community leaders, and religious figures. Data credibility was ensured through triangulation and member checking, followed by thematic analysis. The findings indicate that barriers to Sharia financial literacy stem not from limited information access, but from misalignment between formal Sharia discourse and the symbolic-cultural meanings embedded in Kaili social life, producing semantic noise. To address this gap, the study introduces the concept of semantic bridging, defined as a communicative process that aligns local values nosarara nosabatutu (brotherhood) and lenodafa (honesty) with Sharia transparency principles. The proposed model comprises three stages. The first, dialectical mapping and communal validation of cultural meanings. The second, epistemic internalization through reflective dialogue and mentoring, and third symbolic mediation via culturally resonant language and symbols. This model provides an operational framework for local governments, Islamic financial institutions, and community-based facilitators to design participatory, culturally grounded Sharia financial literacy interventions at the community and municipal policy levels.

Sustaining the Ngerebong Tradition: Reinterpreting Rituals in an Interfaith and Intercultural Context

Ni Made Ayu Nindya Damayanti Nindya — 2026-03-31

This study investigates the sociological dynamics of the Ngerebong tradition in Kesiman, focusing on interreligious and intercultural interactions within a Hindu-majority community. It aims to understand how ritual practices serve as a medium for social negotiation and cultural adaptation in a pluralistic environment. Using a qualitative approach, the research combines field observation, interviews, and document analysis to explore symbolic expressions and social participation across religious groups. The findings reveal that the Ngerebong is not only a sacred ceremony but also a communal space where diverse identities engage in shared cultural experiences. Non-Hindu involvement in the ritual reflects openness and mutual respect, contributing to inclusive social cohesion. The study identifies shifts in symbolic meaning and ritual function, shaped by modernization, tourism, and digital media. These changes demonstrate the community’s capacity to reinterpret tradition while preserving its spiritual essence. The analysis applies functionalist and conflict theory to explain how ritual fosters solidarity and reveals latent tensions. Ultimately, the research concludes that the Ngerebong operates as a living tradition that sustains cultural identity and promotes intergroup harmony. It offers a model for understanding how local rituals can support integration in multicultural societies, with implications for promoting sustainable cultural practices, strengthening interfaith dialogue, guiding policy frameworks that encourage social cohesion, and future research on the resilience of traditions under globalization.

Cultural and Religious Dimensions of Marsialapari and Markobar Traditions in the Mandailing Community

Suheri Harahap — 2026-05-31

The decline of traditional communal practices in contemporary rural societies raises concerns about the sustainability of mutual cooperation (gotong royong) and social solidarity. In the Mandailing community, the Marsialapari and Markobar traditions continue to be practiced, yet their roles as mechanisms of mutual cooperation are rarely examined systematically. This study aims to analyze the Marsialapari tradition as a form of collective agricultural labor and the Markobar tradition as a cooperative communicative practice in maintaining social solidarity and family formation within Mandailing society. This research applies a qualitative historical approach with a descriptive-narrative orientation. Data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation involving traditional leaders and community members who actively practice Marsialapari and Markobar. The fieldwork was conducted in May-July 2025. The results show that Marsialapari represents an institutionalized form of mutual cooperation based on voluntary participation, reciprocity, and rotational labor in rice field cultivation. This tradition strengthens social bonds, collective responsibility, and community unity through shared physical work. Meanwhile, Markobar functions as a form of social and communicative cooperation rooted in the Dalihan Na Tolu system, serving as a collective deliberation process in family and customary ceremonies. Although its duration has shortened in modern practice, Markobar continues to preserve values of togetherness, consensus, and mutual respect. Together, these traditions function as cultural mechanisms that sustain gotong royong and reinforce social harmony in the Mandailing community.

The Halal Value Model: Integrating Triple Helix Collaboration in the Traditional Food Sector

Syamsuri — 2026-05-31

This study aims to develop a Triple Helix model to strengthen halal values in the Indonesian traditional food industry. It is driven by the observation that halal value has not yet been fully optimized in traditional food production, thereby limiting the sector’s growth and competitiveness. This research employed a mixed-method approach by combining qualitative and quantitative techniques. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with traditional food industry practitioners and regulators to explore key challenges in implementing halal value within the industry. While the qualitative findings were then analyzed and structured quantitatively using the Analytic Network Process (ANP) to construct and prioritize elements within the Triple Helix framework involving government, industry, and knowledge institutions. The results indicate that collaboration among the three actors in the Triple Helix framework serves a critical role in strengthening halal value development. Regulatory support emerges as the most significant solution to address key challenges in the halal value chain. Specifically, supplier-related problems can be addressed through regulations on production standards and raw material supply stabilization. Production challenges require the evaluation and improvement of industry regulations, while marketing challenges can be mitigated through increased media exposure and public awareness. In addition, the lack of halal knowledge among practitioners can be resolved through regulatory-based halal certification training programs. Overall, the study highlights that regulatory reinforcement supported by collaboration between entrepreneurs and government institutions represents the most effective strategy for developing a sustainable halal value model for traditional food industries in Indonesia.

Cultural Resistance and the Interpretation of Taxation in Religious Leader Communities

Danny Wibowo — 2025-12-31

This study examines how religious leaders interpret tax reporting obligations related to voluntary spiritual gifts and how these interpretations generate cultural resistance to taxation. Employing a qualitative case study approach, the research involved 12 religious leaders from Islamic, Christian, and Buddhist communities in urban and semi-urban areas in Indonesia, selected through purposive sampling based on active leadership roles and regular receipt of congregational gifts. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic coding guided by the Slippery Slope Framework and behavioural tax theory, with theoretical and data triangulation applied to enhance validity. The findings reveal that religious leaders hold divergent interpretations of spiritual gifts: some regard them solely as alms embedded in worship, while others acknowledge their economic function yet resist classifying them as taxable income. This resistance is not primarily driven by intentional non-compliance, but by interpretative processes that redefine the boundary between sacred and economic domains, compounded by limited technical knowledge of tax reporting procedures. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that religiosity shapes taxation not only through tax morale or compliance attitudes, as emphasized in prior research, but also through the social construction of “income” itself, offering a novel socio-legal explanation of cultural resistance to taxation grounded in empirical evidence.

Local Wisdom and Religious Values in the Numbak Kebau Dance of the Serawai Tribe of Bengkulu: A Philosophical Study

Syarifatun Nafsih — 2025-12-31

The legacy of the Numbak Kebau Dance among the Serawai Tribe of Bengkulu is a cultural manifestation encompassing social, spiritual, and religious values. From a cultural philosophy perspective, this dance is not merely a ceremonial movement but reflects local wisdom regarding the relationship between humans and God, nature, and society. This study aims to analyze the religious values and local wisdom that form the moral and spiritual basis of the Serawai people. The study used a qualitative method with a philosophical approach, through analysis of symbols, movement meanings, and cultural narratives. Data were obtained through observation, interviews with traditional leaders and cultural practitioners, and literature review. The results reveal three main values: (1) ontological, namely the harmonious relationship between humans and nature through the symbol of the buffalo as a cosmic balance; (2) epistemological, in the form of local knowledge and rituals as a means of understanding spiritual reality; and (3) axiological, in the form of ethical values such as solidarity, cooperation, and respect for ancestors. Philosophically, the Numbak Kebau Dance reflects a religiosity that integrates sacred and mundane aspects. This finding confirms that local wisdom plays an important role as a source of moral and spiritual values in building a balance in contemporary social life.

Cultural Agency and Indigenous Community Empowerment: Manifestations of Civil Disobedience in Resisting Legal Hegemony in Minangkabau, West Sumatra, Indonesia

Taufik Muhammad — 2025-12-31

This study examines the phenomenon of civil disobedience as a form of community empowerment in response to the implementation of Government Regulation (PP 84/1999) on the Territorial Proliferation of Bukittinggi City and Agam Regency, West Sumatra, Indonesia. While previous studies focused on administrative conflict management, this research analyzes how cultural agency and Islamic values transform the community from passive objects of regulation into empowered subjects of resistance. Using a qualitative case study design, data were gathered through in-depth interviews with key actors, including traditional leaders (niniak mamak), bureaucratic elites, and community representatives, complemented by an extensive analysis of newspaper archives and official documents. The findings reveal that the two-decade resistance was driven by a deliberative deficit and a perceived threat to nagari autonomy and Minangkabau social ideology. This defiance manifested in statutory dormancy, where the regulation was effectively neutralized by collective social forces. The study concludes that the integration of customary principles and Islamic justifications provided the moral legitimacy necessary for organized advocacy. This cultural agency successfully pressured the state to issue Law 53/2024 on Bukittinggi City, confirming that law's sustainability depends on its harmonization with the living law.