Arabic-learning among the Minangkabau: attitudes, motivations, and collective religious memory

This study investigates the role of Minangkabau cultural identity in shaping learners’ motivation to learn Arabic and their attitude toward the language. Minangkabau is a matrilineal society whose homeland is the West Sumatra province of Indonesia. Islam connects the Minangkabau people and Arabic. While the language functions as the sacred language of Islam, the Minangkabau people make Islam one of the most fundamental aspects of their cultural identity. This intersection brings out a particular social dynamic that plays a role in Arabic learning motivation and attitudes toward the language among Minangkabau learners of Arabic. Concerning the historical dynamics between Islam and Minangkabau, collective religious memory, which Maurice Halbwachs and Danièle Hervieu-Léger suggested, functions as the theoretical foundation of this thesis’ data analysis. Ethnography serves as the approach to collecting and analyzing the data. Thirty-six participants who have the Minangkabau cultural background from 4 cities of West Sumatra (Padang, Padang Panjang, Bukittinggi, and Payakumbuh) participated in the study. The study concludes that Arabic holds a distinctive significance among the Minangkabau because of four key aspects: religious rituals, religious authority, Qur’anic language, and identity or “Minangkabauness.” These aspects contribute to shaping participants’ motivation to learn Arabic.

Grantor dc:publisher

University College Cork

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Naska, Isral

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• De Sondy, Amanullah
• Butler, Jenny

• Arabic
• Minangkabau
• Religious collective memory

Statement dc:rights

• © 2024, Isral Naska.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10468/16413

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:cora.ucc.ie:10468/16413