A post-tsunami sea change? Towards post-secular disaster response in Indonesia

Abstract

The role of religious actors in disaster response, an issue that is generally understood as being dominated by secular perspectives, is increasingly receiving attention. Surprisingly considering its likelihood to offer relevant insights, however, the concept of post-secularism has seldom been adopted as an analytical framework. In response, in this study we adopt a Habermasian lens to examine the relations between religious and secular actors in Indonesia with respect to the 2018 Sunda Strait tsunami, with particular focus on domestic faith organisations. Through interviewing representatives from three prominent religious organisations and a figure from a relevant independent statutory authority, we highlight these institutions' contributions to the disaster response, alongside their struggles to legitimise their leadership potential. Thus, by demonstrating the existence of constraints on religious groups playing a consequential role in a public concern that would benefit from multiple perspectives and competencies, we exemplify how Habermas’ vision of a post-secular society is playing out in a disaster context and identify areas in which collaboration between ostensibly secular and religious actors might be improved.