Communal Mysticism as a Social Contract: An Ethnographic Reinterpretation of Datu Legends in South Kalimantan
Rusma Noortyani, Sainul Hermawan, Fatchul Mu’in
Journal of Semiotics Arts and Religion September 28, 2026 DOI: 10.33234/jsar.1.1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | The Banjar community in Tapin Regency, South Kalimantan, Indonesia |
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Key findings | Argues that mystical elements in Banjar Datu legends operate communally rather than as individual, transient experiences, serving as a shared epistemology that legitimizes religious authority, enforces moral codes, and drives socioeconomic behavior through rituals such as nazar and tawassul. Proposes the concept of "Communal Mysticism" to describe how indigenous spiritual frameworks act as collective resources sustaining community cohesion amid modernization. |
Abstract
This study re-examines the mystical elements within the Datu legends of the Banjar community in South Kalimantan, Indonesia, not merely as passive folklore, but as active mechanisms for cultural resilience and social order.By critically expanding upon William James's classic framework of mystical experience (ineffability, noetic quality, transiency, and passivity), this research challenges dominant Western psychological paradigms that isolate mysticism as a strictly individual and transient phenomenon.Using an ethnographic approach in Tapin Regency, the findings demonstrate that within the context of Banjar Islamic syncretism, mysticism operates communally.The analysis reveals how James's four dimensions are repurposed by the community into a shared epistemology that legitimizes religious authority, enforces moral codes, and drives practical socioeconomic behaviors through rituals such as vows (nazar) and intercession (tawassul).This study advances theoretical discourse in cultural Journal of Semiotics, Arts and Religion Volume 2, 2026 page 1anthropology and the psychology of religion by proposing the concept of "Communal Mysticism," highlighting how indigenous spiritual frameworks act as dynamic, collective resources to sustain community cohesion amid modernization..
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative and Quantitative Features of Music Reported to Support Peak Mystical Experiences during Psychedelic Therapy Sessions Individuals with extensive experience administering psilocybin or psilocybin-containing... | 2017 | Survey and qualitative/quantitative analysis | n = 10 |
| Common Core Thesis and Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Mysticism in Chinese Buddhist Monks and Nuns Chinese Pure Land and Chan Buddhist monks and nuns | 2011 | Mixed-methods study | n = 139 |
| Do Drugs Have Religious Import? A 40-Year Retrospective | 2004 | Interview | |
| Narratives of the mystical among users of psychedelics Psychedelic drug users | 2021 | Qualitative study | n = 50 |
| Auras in mysticism and synaesthesia: a comparison. Synaesthetes who experience colors in response to human faces and figures | 2012 | Qualitative study | n = 4 |