Conflict Prevention through Cultural Synergy Model (CPCSM): Collaborative Roles of Opinion Leaders in Sustaining Religious Harmony in Parepare and Tana Toraja
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18326/inject.v10i2.4768Keywords:
Conflict Prevention Through Cultural Synergy Model, Diversity Harmony, Opinion LeaderAbstract
This study aims to explore the collaborative role of opinion leaders, including religious leaders, traditional leaders, academics, government, and popular media, in maintaining diversity while preventing potential religious and culturally based social conflicts in Parepare and Tana Toraja. Through a communication ethnography approach and utilising in-depth interviews, participatory observation as well as thematic and narrative data analysis, this study reveals that local values such as Sipakatau, Sipakainge, Sipakalebbi, Rambu Solo’, Rambu Tuka', and Tongkonan are not only the foundation of harmony, but also produced and distributed through dialogue forums, educational policies, and digital campaigns in a synergistic and non-hierarchical manner. The main outcome of the research is the formulation of the Conflict Prevention through Cultural Synergy Model (CPCSM), which illustrates how religious moderation is built collectively through interactions between opinion leaders. This model underlines the importance of proactive and preventive strategies based on local wisdom and the utilisation of digital media to strengthen social resilience amid diversity. This finding is significant not only as a conceptual contribution to the study of religious communication but also as a practical reference for strengthening public policy and replicating diversity models in other multicultural areas.
References
Abduh, M. (2024a). Pembangunan Sekolah Kristen Gamaliel Parepare Didemo, Yayasan: Izin Lengkap". Detik.Com.
Abduh, M. (2024b). Warga di Parepare Kembali Demo Tolak Pembangunan Sekolah Kristen Gamalie. Detik.Com.
Abidin, A. A., & Fatawi, I. (2024). Leadership of Religious Leaders in the Framework of Religious Moderation in Strengthening Community Social Cohesion. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research of Higher Education, 7(4), 266–277.
Admin. (2025). Kapolres TaTor Dinilai Abaikan Aturan, Biarkan Pendirian Rumah Ibadah Tanpa Izin. Innews.Co.Id.
Agung, D. A. G., Nasih, A. M., Sumarmi, Idris, & Kurniawan, B. (2024). Local wisdom as a model of interfaith communication in creating religious harmony in Indonesia. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 9, 100827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.100827
Alam, S. (2023). Kerukunan Dalam Beragama: Koeksistensi Antar Agama Dalam Upacara Rambu Solo Tana. Sosioreligius: Jurnal Sosiologi Agama, 8(1). https://doi.org//10.24252/sosioreligius.v8i1.40341
Amirullah, A., Rumbaru, M., & Sahib, R. (2022). Role of Traditional, Social, Religious, and Government Leaders in Building Harmonious Relations Between Religious People in Jayapura City. SANGKéP: Jurnal Kajian Sosial Keagamaan, 5(2), 157–167. https://doi.org/10.20414/sangkep.v5i2.3056
Astika, V. D. (2020). Studi Etnografi Virtual Aktivitas #memedakwah di Media Sosial Instagram. Skripsi S1, Program Studi Komunikasi dan Penyiaran Islam, Fakultas Dakwah, Institut Agama Islam Negeri Purwokerto.
Aziawatia, N., Alfani, S. Y., Dillah, P. S., Saputra, D., & Pramasta, N. K. C. (2024). History and Symbolic Meaning of Tongkonan from the Views of the Tana Toraja People. Dharmahita: Journal of Community Service and Development, 1–12.
Bachrong, F., & Ansar, F. A. (2021). Religious Moderation In Karapasan The Local Culture Of Tana Toraja Community In South Sulawesi. Al-Qalam, 27. https://doi.org/10.31969/alq.v27i1.973
Badrun, B., Sujadi, S., Warsah, I., Muttaqin, I., & Morganna, R. (2023). Pancasila, Islam, and Harmonising Socio-Cultural Conflict in Indonesia. Al-Jami’ah: Journal of Islamic Studies, 61(1), 137–156. https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2023.611.137-156
Bahfiarti, T., Arianto, & Fatimah, J. M. (2019). Interpersonal Communication Between Opinion Leader and Minority Group on Social Harmony in South Sulawesi. Journal of Humanity and Social Justice, 1(1).
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Conceptual and Design Thinking for Thematic Analysis. Qualitative Psychology, 9(1), 3–26. https://doi.org/10.1037/QUP0000196
Castleberry, A., & Nolen, A. (2018). Thematic analysis of qualitative research data: Is it as easy as it sounds? Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 10(6), 807–815.
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of Qualitative Research (3rd ed.): Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. SAGE Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452230153
Cresswell, J. W. (2021). Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research + the Mixed Methods Research Workbook. Designing & Conducting Mixed Methods Research + the Mixed Methods Reader, 1(2), 24–27.
Creswell, W. J., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative adn Mixed Methods Approaches. In Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling (Vol. 53, Issue 9).
Douglas, H. (2022). Sampling Techniques for Qualitative Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-5441-2_29
Eko, B. S., & Putranto, H. (2019). The role of intercultural competence and local wisdom in building intercultural and inter-religious tolerance. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 48(4), 341–369.
Fitriyah, R. D. (2024a). Leadership and Social Harmony: Understanding the Leader’s Role in Fostering Social Integration Within Coastal Islamic Communities. Millati: Journal Of Islamic Studies And …, 9(2), 141–159. https://doi.org/10.18326/mlt.v9i2.3065
Fitriyah, R. D. (2024b). Leadership and Social Harmony: Understanding the Leader’s Role in Fostering Social Integration Within Coastal Islamic Communities. Millati: Journal Of Islamic Studies And Humanities, 9(2).
Grover, P., Kar, A. K., Gupta, S., & Modgil, S. (2021). Influence of political leaders on sustainable development goals–insights from twitter. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 34(6), 1893–1916.
Haramain, M. (2024). Penolakan Sekolah Kristen di Parepare: Menguji Kedalaman Toleransi Kita. Kompas.Com.
He, M., & Lee, J. (2020). Social culture and innovation diffusion: a theoretically founded agent-based model. Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 30(4), 1109–1149.
Hoon, C.-Y. (2017). Putting Religion into Multiculturalism: Conceptualising Religious Multiculturalism in Indonesia. Asian Studies Review, 41(3), 476–493. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2017.1334761
Huda, M., Nor Muhamad, N. H., Isyanto, P., Muhamat, R., Marni, N., Ahmad Kilani, M., & Safar, J. (2020). Building harmony in diverse society: insights from practical wisdom. International Journal of Ethics and Systems, 36(2), 149–165. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOES-11-2017-0208
Irawan, S. (2025). Polemik Pembangunan Rumah Ibadah di Toraja Berakhir, Kemenag Sulsel Apresiasi Ibu Aisyah. Makassar-Tribunnews.Com.
Iyengar, R., Van den Bulte, C., & Valente, T. W. (2011). Opinion leadership and social contagion in new product diffusion. Marketing Science, 30(2), 195–212.
Katz, E. (2015). Opinion Leadership| Commentary~ Where Are Opinion Leaders Leading Us? International Journal of Communication, 9, 6.
Lattu, I. Y. M. (2019). Beyond Interreligious Dialogue: Oral-Based Interreligious Engagements in Indonesia. In Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion. Volume 10 (2019) (pp. 70–90). BRILL. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004401266_006
Lim, W. M. (2025). What is qualitative research? An overview and guidelines. Australasian Marketing Journal, 33(2), 199–229.
Mahyuddin, M., Habib, M. A. F., & Sulvinajayanti, S. (2022). Dinamika Pengarusutamaan Moderasi Beragama Dalam Perkembangan Masyarakat Digital. 14(2), 118–126. https://doi.org/10.30762/asketik.v6i1.181
Mappanyukki, A. (2024). DPRD Tolak Pembangunan Sekolah Kristen Gamaliel di Parepare. Beritasatu.Com.
Modisane, K. T. (2023). The Pursuit of Happiness: Efforts of Global Leadership and Followers to Achieve Social Harmony. In Handbook of Global Leadership and Followership (pp. 1–25). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75831-8_46-1
Mohamad Saleh, M. S., Mehellou, A., & Omar, B. (2023). The Influence of Islamic Values on Sustainable Lifestyle: The Moderating Role of Opinion Leaders. Sustainability, 15(11), 8640. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118640
Noe, W., Affandi, I., Malihah, E., & Sunatra, S. (2018). The dynamics of multicultural values of Banuroja community in building social integration a socio-cultural ethnographic study in Gorontalo. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 28(6), 758–770.
Nurfridayanti, R., Putra, A., & Azi, R. (2022). Ethnography of Communication Analysis in “Luca Movie” Dialogue. ELITE: Journal of English Language and Literature, 7. https://doi.org/10.33772/elite.v5i1.1486
Opara, U. C., Iheanacho, P. N., & Petrucka, P. (2024). Cultural and religious structures influencing the use of maternal health services in Nigeria: a focused ethnographic research. Reproductive Health, 21(1), 188.
Ordonez‐Ponce, E. (2023). The role of local cultural factors in the achievement of the sustainable development goals. Sustainable Development, 31(2), 1122–1134.
Pangalila, T., & Rumbay, C. A. (2024). Multicultural relation between religious communities in Indonesia. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 80(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v80i1.9645
Pantan, F., Pakpahan, G. K. R., & Wiryohadi, W. (2024). Values of local wisdom in Rambu Solo’ from the perspective of Pentecostal spirituality and character education. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 80(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v80i1.9720
Rahmani, N. A., & Sumarlan, I. (2025). Traditional Leaders’ Communication Strategies in Fostering Harmony Through the Selamat Kampong Tradition in Belitung. Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Teknologi, 6(1), 578–589. https://doi.org/10.59141/jist.v6i1.8895
Resi. (2024). Nilai Moderasi Beragama Dalam Semboyan Tana: Misa Kada Dipatu, Patan Kada Dipomate. Inovasi Penelitian, Karya Ilmiah, Dan Pengembangan, 2(1).
Saragih, N., Mansur, S., Pambayun, E. L., & Topikurohman, T. (2023). Organizational Ethnography Analysis: Participation of Islamic Religious Leaders in Handling Covid-19 through Integrative Communication. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 27–40. https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v23i4.163
Shoham, A., & Ruvio, A. (2008). Opinion leaders and followers: A replication and extension. Psychology & Marketing, 25(3), 280–297.
Siddiq, A., Rachmiatie, A., Muhtadi, S., & Rinawati, R. (2024). Dynamics of Interreligious Communication: How it has led to Religious Harmony in Indonesia. Library of Progress-Library Science, Information Technology & Computer, 44(3).
Sumarlan, I., Muktiyo, W., Pawito, P., & Rahmanto, A. N. (2025). Public relations strategies in religious organizations: a qualitative study of Muhammadiyah’s organizational communication. Frontiers in Communication, 10, 1574048.
Tisdell, E. J., Merriam, S. B., & Stuckey-Peyrot, H. L. (2025). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. John Wiley & Sons.
Tolba, A. H., & Mourad, M. (2011). Individual and cultural factors affecting diffusion of innovation. Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies, 5, 1.
Trepte, S., & Scherer, H. (2010). Opinion leaders–Do they know more than others about their area of interest?
Weimann, G. (1991). The influentials: Back to the concept of opinion leaders? Public Opinion Quarterly, 55(2), 267–279.
Xu, W., & Zammit, K. (2020). Applying thematic analysis to education: A hybrid approach to interpreting data in practitioner research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19, 1609406920918810.
Zulkarnain, Z., & Samsuri, S. (2018). Religious Leaders and Indonesian Religious Harmony. Proceedings of the Annual Civic Education Conference (ACEC 2018). https://doi.org/10.2991/acec-18.2018.23
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 INJECT (Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
