Transformation of Social Identity Among Former Thugs in Surakarta City
Self-Navigation within Religious Communities
Keywords:
Social Identity, Stigma, Thuggery, Hijrah, Social TransformationAbstract
This article examines the transformation of the social identity of former gangsters (preman) in the city
of Solo who seek to rebuild their religious identity through the process of hijrah and active participation
in religious communities such as Juba Rescue and Ekspreso. The study employs the Social Identity
Theory (Tajfel & Turner) and the Stigma and Identity Management Theory (Erving Goffman) to
understand the dynamics of self-transformation and the strategies used to manage a spoiled identity.
Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and field documentation
conducted between 2023 and 2024. The findings reveal that the transformation of former gangsters’
social identity unfolds across five main dimensions: (1) Social Identity Repositioning — from Gangster
to Respected Muslim; (2) Symbolic Representation and Self-Presentation; (3) Spiritual Process and
Moral Transition; (4) Ideological and Social Loyalty Shifts; and (5) Economic Reorientation and the
Emergence of a New Work Ethic. This process illustrates a continuous negotiation between a deviant
past and the construction of a renewed religious self, highlighting the success of stigma management
in shaping a new social identity within the urban public sphere.
Abstract viewed: 0 times
|
PDF downloaded = 0 times
References
Achmad Fadhli (Direktur). (2015, Juli 14). Pesantrenku Tak Beratap | Documentary Films [Video recording]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBPOIw5pa-c
Ahyar, M. (2015). Membaca Gerakan Islam Radikal Dan Deradikalisasi Gerakan Islam. Walisongo: Jurnal Penelitian Sosial Keagamaan, 23(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.21580/ws.23.1.220
Bakker, L. (2021). Gangster or social bandit?. Rise and fall of an Indonesian preman. Terrain. Anthropologie & sciences humaines, 74. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.4000/terrain.21364.
Bram, D. (2023). Disebut Mantan Preman, Rudy: Nyat Ho’o - Radar Solo. Disebut Mantan Preman, Rudy: Nyat Ho’o - Radar Solo. https://radarsolo.jawapos.com/solo/841696961/disebut-mantan-preman-rudy-nyat-hoo
Bullingham, L., & Vasconcelos, A. C. (2013). ‘The presentation of self in the online world’: Goffman and the study of online identities. Journal of Information Science, 39(1), 101–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165551512470051
Douglas Wilson, I. (2006). Continuity and change: The changing contours of organized violence in post–New Order Indonesia. Critical Asian Studies, 38(2), 265–297.
Eks, S. (2023, April 4). [Komunikasi pribadi].
Fakhruddin, M., Mu’inuddinillah Basri, M. A., & Rosyadi, I. (2021). Praktik Jual Beli Motor Kredit Macet Dalam Perspektif Imam Mazhab Empat (Studi Kasus Laskar Islam Di Surakarta) [PhD Thesis]. Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta.
Farid, A. (2001). Kiat Menjadi Hamba Pilihan Menurut Ulama Salafush Shalih, Terj. Wawan Djunaedi Soffandi. Pustaka Azzam.
Goffman, E. (1956). The presentation of self in everyday life. University of Edinburgh.
Goffman, E. (1990). Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity. Penguin Books.
Harahap, F. R. (2013). Dampak urbanisasi bagi perkembangan kota di Indonesia. Society, 1(1), 35–45. https://doi.org/10.33019/society.v1i1.40
Ibnu Katsir, M. (1997). Tafsir Ibnu Katsir (Pertama, Vol. 4). Darul Fikr.
Jati, W. R. (2012). Kuasa dan Kekerasan: Kelembagaan Premanisme Yogyakarta Paska Reformasi. The Sociology of Islam, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.15642/jsi.2012.2.1.%25p
JIhad, P. of. (2008, Maret 19). Umat Islam Vs Preman, 2 Tewas. Arrahmah.id. https://www.arrahmah.id/umat-islam-vs-preman-2-tewas/
Kafid, N. (2016). Dari Islamisme ke “Premanisme”: Pergeseran Orientasi Gerakan Kelompok Islam Radikal Di Era Desentralisasi Demokrasi. Masyarakat, Jurnal Sosiologi, 21(1). https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/mjs/vol21/iss1/4
Kapolri Ancam Copot Kapolda yang Gagal Berantas Judi. (t.t.). Diambil 10 Desember 2024, dari https://news.detik.com/berita/d-401134/kapolri-ancam-copot-kapolda-yang-gagal-berantas-judi
Kurniawan. (2020, September 2). Bukan Gondhez’s, Ternyata Inilah Geng Tertua di Kota Solo. Espos Indonesia. https://solopos.espos.id/bukan-gondhezs-ternyata-inilah-geng-tertua-di-kota-solo-1078919
Kurniawan. (2024, Mei 14). Singo Lawu, Bisnis yang Membesarkan Nama Gondhez’s Jadi Geng Berbahaya di Solo. Espos Indonesia. https://solopos.espos.id/singo-lawu-bisnis-yang-membesarkan-nama-gondhezs-jadi-geng-berbahaya-di-solo-1920918
Laskar, K. (2024, Mei). Kisah Hijrah [Komunikasi pribadi].
Masaaki, O., & Hamid, A. (2008). Jawara in Power, 1999—2007. Indonesia, 86, 109–138. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40376462
Masduki, S. (2003). Layanan Bimbingan Konseling di Sekolah. Muhammadiyah University Press.
Napiter, E. (2023, April 28). Pemerasan [Komunikasi pribadi].
Nasional, P. B. D. P. (2008). Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia ISBN 978-979-689-779-1. Jakarta: Departemen Pendidikan Nasional.
Noor, I. (2016). Identitas Agama, Ruang Publik Dan Post-Sekularisme: Perspektif Diskursus Jurgen Habermas. Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Ushuluddin, 11(1), 61–87.
Pranoto, S. W. (2010). Jawa: Bandit-bandit pedesaan: studi historis, 1850-1942. Graha Ilmu.
Pribadi, Y. (2015). The Historical Roots and Identities of Local Strongmen Groups in Indonesia. Kawalu: Journal of Local Culture, 2(1), 101–144. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.32678/kawalu.v2i1.714.
Purwawidada, F. (2014). Jaringan Baru Teroris Solo. Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia.
Saputro, A. (2020). Urban Crisis Produk Kegagalan Urbanisasi Di Indonesia. Sosiologi Reflektif, 15(1), 173–194. https://doi.org/10.14421/jsr.v15i1.2000
Setiyowati, R. (2010). Jaringan komunikasi partisipan kelompok Gondhez’s (studi jaringan komunikasi partisipan kelompok Gondhez’s di kota Solo dalam mensukseskan pasangan Bibit-Rustri pada pemilihan gubernur Jawa Tengah 2008) [Skripsi]. Universitas Sebelas Maret.
Siegel, J. T. (2000). Penjahat Gaya (Orde) Baru: Eksplorasi Politik dan Kejahatan, terj. Noor Cholis. LKIS.
Subianto, J. (2013). Peran keluarga, sekolah, dan masyarakat dalam pembentukan karakter berkualitas. Edukasia: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Islam, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.21043/edukasia.v8i2.757
Sumbulah, U. (2006). Agama, Kekerasan Dan Perlawanan Ideologis. Islamica: Jurnal Studi Keislaman, 1(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.15642/islamica.2006.1.1.1-11
Tobat, E. (2024, Juni 13). Kisah Hijrah [Komunikasi pribadi].
Warsito. (2017). Preman Taubat: Dinamika Pemikiran Ikhwan mantan Preman di Kelurahan Semanggi. Aqwam.
Warsito, W. (2018). Dinamika Pemikiran Keislaman Ikhwan Mantan Preman di Kelurahan Semanggi Surakarta. Jurnal Penelitian, 12(1), 1–26.
Warsito, W., & Zainuddin, M. (2023). Gerakan Kesalehan Kelompok Sufi Sar Juba Rescue Tarekat Syadziliyyah Di Surakarta. Wahana Akademika: Jurnal Studi Islam dan Sosial, 10(1).
Wildan, M. (2013). The nature of radical Islamic groups in Solo. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 7(1), 49–71.
Wilson, I. D. (2003). 11 ‘as Long as It’s Halal’: Islamic Preman in Jakarta. Expressing Islam, 192.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Warsito
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- 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 acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- 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.
