Islam, Land, and Local Knowledge in Acehnese and Sasak Novel: A Cultural Ecosemiotic Perspective on Narratives Environmental Guardianship in Muslim Communities

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-464-8_2How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Islamic Indigenous Knowledge; Environmental; Cultural Ecosemootics

Abstract

This study explores the intersection of Islam, indigenous ecological knowledge, and environmental narratives in Muslim communities through a cultural ecosemiotic analysis of two contemporary Indonesian novels: Raifa dalam Dekapan Selembu by Boy Abdaz and Sanggarguri by Lalu Agus Fathurrahman. The novels represent two major Islamic cultural communities in Indonesia—Acehnese and Sasak—whose relationship with nature is mediated by local wisdom and religious values. Using a cultural ecosemiotic lens, this study examines how signs, symbols, and cultural codes embedded in the narratives reflect the communities’ environmental ethics and cosmologies. Findings reveal that the novels construct a layered understanding of environmental guardianship rooted in Islamic teachings, indigenous traditions, and socio-ecological memory. Raifa portrays the sacredness of forested Selembu hills as intertwined with sharia-based communal responsibilities, while Sanggarguri frames the preservation of water, land, and Rinjani Mountain in Lombok within the Sasak-Islamic worldview. These literary narratives offer a rich source of culturally responsive material for science education in Islamic contexts, particularly in promoting STEM learning that values local knowledge and sustainability. The study concludes that integrating fiction grounded in local Muslim communities into science education can foster ecological literacy, reinforce cultural identity, and support context-sensitive pedagogical innovation. This research contributes to broader conversations on Islam, literature, and environmental education, proposing literary texts as vehicles for embedding indigenous ecological insights into culturally inclusive STEM curricula.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Agik Nur Efendi
AU  - Anas Ahmadi
AU  - Titik Indarti
AU  - Erika Kurniawati
AU  - Siti Robiatun Nisa
AU  - Agus Purnomo Ahmad Putikadyanto
AU  - M. Arifin Alatas
AU  - Albaburrahim Albaburrahim
AU  - Sahrul Romadhon
AU  - Liana Rochmatul Wachidah
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/21
TI  - Islam, Land, and Local Knowledge in Acehnese and Sasak Novel: A Cultural Ecosemiotic Perspective on Narratives Environmental Guardianship in Muslim Communities
BT  - Proceedings of International Conference of Islamic Studies (ICONIS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 4
EP  - 19
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-464-8_2
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-464-8_2
ID  - Efendi2025
ER  -