Who belongs where? Geographies of (inter)religion and urban segregation in Surabaya, Indonesia

Abstract

This study addresses urban segregation along religious identities in Indonesia's second-largest city, Surabaya, and explores the disruptive potential of short interreligious visits to places of worship. It contributes to the existing academic literature in at least three ways, namely (1) by expanding discussions about geographies of religion into discussions about geographies of (inter)religion; (2) by connecting interreligious education initiatives with urban democratic politics (i.e., urban subjectivity and citizenship), and (3) by demonstrating the powerful role of body spatiality in disrupting religious urban geographies. Based on organised visits to various religious sites and subsequent qualitative interviews, we found that the unusual visibility of religiously diverse visitors contributed to the normalisation of multi-religious diversity, and participants' positive experiences at places of worship contributed to the development of empathy and solidarity with the religious Other. In discussing the implications of the study, we suggest that deliberate efforts of interreligious place-making on the part of political and religious leaders can counter urban religious segregation and contribute to social cohesion.