MARGINAL RELIGIOSITY: THE PRACTICES AMONG POOR FISHERS IN INDONESIA

Abstract

Religion is seen as a problem solution of poverty through religious institutions rather than paying attention to the poor's religiosity. This study aims to map the objective conditions of the poor fishermen's life, portray their religious activities, and analyze the development model to increase the religiosity and economy of poor fishing communities. The data collection techniques involve observation, structured interviews, and documentation. The determination of informants as data sources was based on snowball sampling totaling twenty fishers on the Prigi beach, Trenggalek, Indonesia. The results show that poverty has structured the fishing community's religious orientation, strongly influenced by three aspects. First, the relativity of time and physical endurance in carrying out worship makes fishers neglect their obligation to worship. Second, the orientation of fulfilling their daily needs has dictated their lives affecting the spirituality of fishing communities. Third, economic limitations have controlled fishermen's religiosity and have led to new interpretations of worship based on the principle of affordability. This study suggests the need for a more contextual construction of religious propaganda with the objective problem of fishing communities in empowerment through cultural understanding.