Issue

Vol. 32 No. 1 (2026): Jurnal Al Qalam

Date Log

Submitted
Oct 20, 2025
Published
Jun 18, 2026

Copyright (c) 2026 Syamsul Asri

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

FREEDOM AS CAPABILITY: AMARTYA SEN’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE DISCOURSE ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF FOR INDIGENOUS RELIGIONS

https://doi.org/10.31969/alq.v32i1.1775
Syamsul Asri
Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9298-9507

Corresponding Author(s) : Syamsul Asri

sasri@ugm.ac.id

Al-Qalam, Vol. 32 No. 1 (2026): Jurnal Al Qalam

Abstract

This article explores the possible conceptual contribution of Amartya Sen’s book “Identity and
Violence” (2007) to the discourse on the relationship between individual freedom and Freedom of
Religion or Belief (FoRB). Sen is widely recognized as a pioneer of human-centered and interdisciplinary
development economics that emphasizes freedom as a fundamental prerequisite for development.
Although he does not specifically discuss FoRB, Sen has extensively engaged with broader human rights
discourse. He critically examines the relationship between freedom, capability, and agency on the one
hand, and justice, identity, and social choice on the other. The richness and flexibility of Sen’s framework
enable human rights in general, and FoRB in particular, to be understood as a process of empowerment
through capability building. Such an approach allows individuals to develop meaningful choices within
their immediate social environments, where justice functions both as a prerequisite for and an objective
of human-centered development. To demonstrate the relevance of Sen’s ideas to the individual dimension
of FoRB, this article concludes by examining the FoRB of tribal and indigenous religious communities
as a comparative field through which Sen’s conception of individual freedom in “Identity and
Violence” can be critically engaged.

Keywords

Amartya Sen, Freedom as capability, freedom of religion and belief, tribal and indigenous religions
References
  1. Badurdeen, Fathima Azmiya, Manoela Carpenedo, Jan Slump, Lonneke Smidt, and Erin K. Wilson. 2026. “The Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief of Minority Communities.” The Review of Faith & International Affairs 24(1):68–81. doi:10.1080/15570274.2026.2620353
  2. Benham Rennick, Joanne. 2013. “Is Religion a Force for Good? Reformulating the Discourse on Religion and International Development.” Canadian Journal of Development Studies/Revue Canadienne d’études Du Développement 34(2):175–88. doi:10.1080/02255189.2013.787052.
  3. Boer, Ype de. 2024. Agamben’s Ethics of the Happy Life: Beyond Nihilism and Morality. 1st ed. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
  4. Cesari, Jocelyne. 2025. “The Future of Religious Freedom: Rights, Recognition, and Resistance in the 21st Century.” The Review of Faith & International Affairs 23(4):6–18. doi:10.1080/15570274.2025.2545127
  5. Daniel, D., S. Satriani, S. L. Zudi, and A. Ekka. 2022. “To What Extent Does Indigenous Local Knowledge Support the Social–Ecological System? A Case Study of the Ammatoa Community, Indonesia.” Resources 11(12). doi:10.3390/resources11120106.
  6. Fairclough, Norman. 2010. Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language. 2 edition. London: Routledge.
  7. Fatem, S. M., Y. Y. Runtuboi, M. R. Fisher, Y. Sufi, A. Maryudi, and N. Sirimorok. 2023. “Conservation Policy, Indigeneity, and Changing Traditional Hunting Practices in West Papua.” Forest and Society 7(2):359–79. doi:10.24259/fs.v7i2.27420.
  8. Ferrari, Silvio, Mark Hill, Arif A. Jamal, and Rossella Bottoni, eds. 2021. Routledge Handbook of Freedom of Religion or Belief. Routledge International Handbooks. London New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
  9. Grugel, Jean, and Daniel Hammett, eds. 2016. The Palgrave Handbook of International Development. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK.
  10. Hermans, Hubert J. M. 2014. Handbook of Dialogical Self Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  11. Hewitt, Jeffery G., Beverley Jacobs, and Richard Moon, eds. 2025. Indigenous Spiritualities and Religious Freedom. Toronto Buffalo London: University of Toronto Press.
  12. Jesson, Jill, Lydia Matheson, and Fiona M. Lacey. 2011. Doing Your Literature Review: Traditional and Systematic Techniques. London: SAGE Publications.
  13. Kelly, Tobias. 2026. “The Impossibility of Protecting Conscience: Law, Ethics and Pacifism.” History and Anthropology 1–18. doi:10.1080/02757206.2026.2670653
  14. Kimmerer, Robin Wall. 2020. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. Penguin UK.
  15. Maarif, Samsul. 2018. Pasang Surut Rekognisi Agama Leluhur Dalam Politik Agama Di Indonesia. CRCS UGM.
  16. Marshall, Paul. 2004. “Patterns and Context of Religious Freedom and Persecution.” The Brandywine Review of Faith & International Affairs 2(3):27–34. doi:10.1080/15435725.2004.9523191
  17. Miletzki, Janna, and Nick Broten. 2017. An Analysis of Amartya Sen’s Development as Freedom. The Macat Library. London, [England]: Routledge.
  18. Nightingale, Alison. 2009. “A Guide to Systematic Literature Reviews.” Surgery (Oxford) 27(9):381–84. doi:10.1016/j.mpsur.2009.07.005.
  19. Petri, Dennis P., and Jason Klocek. 2025. “External and Internal Threats to the Freedom of Religion or Belief of Indigenous Peoples in Latin America.” Religions 16(2):209. doi:10.3390/rel16020209.
  20. Rees, John A. 2011. Religion in International Politics and Development: The World Bank and Faith Institutions. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
  21. Ricoeur, Paul. 2016. Hermeneutics and the Human Sciences: Essays on Language, Action and Interpretation. Reprint edition. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  22. Ruckstuhl, Katharina, Irma Alicia Velásquez Nimatuj, John-Andrew McNeish, and Nancy Grey Postero, eds. 2023. The Routledge Handbook of Indigenous Development. Routledge International Handbooks. Abingdon, Oxon New York, NY: Routledge.
  23. Sen, Amartya. 2011. Development as Freedom. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
  24. Sen, Amartya. 2015. Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny. Penguin UK.
  25. Sen, Amartya. 2021. Home in the World: A Memoir. London: Allen Lane.
Read More

Author Biography

Syamsul Asri, Universitas Gadjah Mada

Researcher and Assistant Professor at Interreligious Studies Department, Graduate School, Universitas Gadjah Mada.

Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 0