The Story of Minyak Kemiri Sunan: Islamic Religious Communities and Renewable Energy Nationalism in Indonesia

Abstract

What is renewable energy nationalism? How is it shaped by Islamic ideas and practice in Indonesia? Contemporary studies of resource nationalism have explored the role of discourse and policies, highlighting the influence of state (elite) agencies and non-state masses and businesses in shaping a country’s natural resource management. Less attention has been given to the role of civil society groups, such as religious communities, in this process. This article ethnographically reveals how Islamic religious communities in East Java, Indonesia, through the planting and harvesting of Philippine tung trees (kemiri sunan), have shaped renewable energy nationalism in Java. Various factors, including religious values, neoliberal logic, ecological knowledge, and decolonial aspirations, have inspired these communities in constructing this new form of nationalism. The article demonstrates that renewable energy nationalism accommodates the complex coexistence of neoliberal and decolonial desires.