The Collective memory as a based identity: Looking into religious bonding beyond nations

Nisa A’rafiyah Tri Wulandari; Siti Utami Dewi Ningrum; Mitra Mustaricha; Mutia Kamala Mukhtar; Erna Risnawati; Wildan Habibi

doi:10.21831/jc.v23i2.95624

Authors

Nisa A’rafiyah Tri Wulandari Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4946-1070
Siti Utami Dewi Ningrum Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7674-5314
Mitra Mustaricha Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8597-0659
Mutia Kamala Mukhtar Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0129-4173
Erna Risnawati Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia
Wildan Lancaster University, United Kingdom

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21831/jc.v23i2.95624

Keywords:

collective memory, Indonesia, Islam, Palestine

Abstract

How does collective memory sustain bonds between societies separated by national borders? This study examines the relationship between Indonesia and Palestine through the lens of collective memory, with particular attention to its material, social, and mental dimensions. Using a qualitative case-study approach that combines historical inquiry, systematic literature review, and interviews with selected informants involved in solidarity practices for Palestine, the study explores how memory is formed, transmitted, and reproduced across time. The findings show that the material dimension is reflected in sacred architecture, scriptural references, and symbolic media that preserve Palestine in Indonesian Muslim memory. The social dimension is manifested in sermons, religious gatherings, fundraising initiatives, and solidarity movements that continually reproduce remembrance in collective life. The mental dimension appears in religiosity, empathy, and shared moral identification, through which Palestine is experienced not merely as a distant political issue but as a meaningful religious and humanitarian concern. These interrelated dimensions indicate that Indonesian support for Palestine is sustained not only by diplomatic or political considerations, but also by a religiously mediated structure of memory that transcends territorial distance. The study contributes to international relations by showing that transnational solidarity may be maintained through shared memory and moral narratives alongside state interests. It also contributes to cultural studies by showing how religion, symbolism, and collective remembrance interact to shape enduring cross-border attachment.

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