FOCUS AND SCOPE

Focus

Potret Pemikiran is an international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the socio-religious dynamics of Muslim minority communities, with a primary focus on Eastern Indonesia and comparative contexts across Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, and other regions. The journal positions Muslim communities in Minahasa, North Sulawesi, as its primary intellectual laboratory, where centuries of coexistence between Islamic traditions and indigenous Minahasan culture have produced distinctive patterns of acculturation, identity negotiation, and religious moderation within a non-Muslim majority society. In collaboration with the Pusat Studi Masyarakat Muslim Minahasa, the journal advances interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of sociology, anthropology, religious studies, law, politics, and education, serving scholars across diverse geographic, institutional, and disciplinary backgrounds.

The journal welcomes original research articles, theoretical papers, systematic reviews, and critical reviews that advance understanding of Muslim minority dynamics, socio-religious thought, structural justice, and the legal protection of vulnerable groups in pluralistic societies.

Scope

1. Islam and Muslim Communities in Eastern Indonesia

This scope examines the socio-religious phenomena of Muslim communities in Eastern Indonesia, particularly in Minahasa and North Sulawesi, as minority groups within non-Muslim majority societies. Studies cover historical formation, cultural acculturation and assimilation, Islamic identity negotiation, da'wah strategies, Islamic education, economic resilience, political representation, and structural challenges, including access to justice and legal vulnerability faced by Muslim minority communities in this region.

2. Muslim Minorities in Global and Comparative Perspective

This scope examines Muslim minority communities across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas through comparative approaches that enable dialogue between local experiences and global discourses. Studies encompass minority representation, discrimination and civil rights protection, political participation, cultural adaptation, identity construction, and legal protection of Muslim minorities from systemic discrimination, religiously motivated violence, and structural vulnerability in diverse global contexts.

3. Socio-cultural Dynamics, Identity, and Acculturation

This scope examines socio-cultural interaction, identity negotiation, adaptation, and transformation at the interface between Islamic traditions and local cultures in pluralistic societies. Particular attention is given to cultural syncretism, the localization of Islam, and Islamic expressions emerging from encounters between Islam and local traditions across diverse geographical contexts, especially in Muslim minority and religiously plural settings.

4. Socio-Religious Studies and Religious Moderation

This scope analyzes the dynamics of religious life in plural societies, encompassing religious moderation, interfaith harmony, interreligious dialogue, and the role of religious institutions in fostering social cohesion. It also examines the integration of religious values into modern economic systems, including Islamic philanthropy, Islamic economics, and faith-based community empowerment, with priority given to studies that link these themes to Muslim minority contexts and religiously diverse communities.

5. Law, Public Policy, and the Protection of Vulnerable Groups

This scope investigates legal dimensions and policy implementation related to the protection of religious minority groups, the harmonization of religious and national law, and structural justice confronted by Muslim minority communities. Particular emphasis is placed on the legal protection of socially and structurally vulnerable groups, including Muslim women, children, migrant workers, persons with disabilities, and indigenous Muslim communities, examined through the integrated lens of Islamic values, human rights principles, and social justice frameworks. Studies are expected to engage with the socio-religious dimensions of legal vulnerability rather than limiting analysis to doctrinal legal examination alone.

6. Politics, Representation, and Civil Participation

This scope examines political dynamics and representation of religious minority groups, encompassing political participation, civil rights, political communication strategies, and advocacy within democratic contexts. Particular attention is given to the challenges and opportunities faced by Muslim minority communities in accessing political spaces and decision-making processes, with studies linking political dynamics to religious identity and minority community experiences prioritized.

7. Education, Character Development, and Community Empowerment

This scope analyzes the integration of religious and cultural values in educational systems, character development, religious moderation in educational contexts, and economic-legal literacy focused on empowering Muslim minority communities. Studies encompass the role of Islamic educational institutions, both formal and non-formal, in sustaining Islamic identity while promoting social integration in pluralistic societies, with priority given to studies connecting education with Muslim community dynamics and minority challenges.

8. Normative Legal Studies and Regulatory Transformation

This scope welcomes normative legal studies, regulatory analysis, and policy research that are clear and demonstrably relevant to social life and community welfare. Studies may include harmonization of legislation, digital transformation of public legal services, legal reform affecting access to justice, civil rights protection through positive legal instruments, and normative analysis of regulations with significant social impact. Studies in this scope are not required to integrate explicit socio-religious dimensions but must demonstrate clear social relevance and contribute to the understanding of just and inclusive legal systems. Purely technical-doctrinal studies without demonstrable contribution to access to justice, community rights, or the social impact of regulation fall outside this scope.

The journal welcomes contributions from scholars across diverse geographic, institutional, and disciplinary backgrounds. Interdisciplinary approaches are strongly encouraged.