UNU Jogja Student Presents Research at the International Conference on Gender and Feminism 2025

Yogyakarta, Indonesia – A proud achievement was made by Zulfa Fitratul Aufa, a student of the Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies Program at Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama (UNU) Yogyakarta. Zulfa successfully qualified as a presenter and delivered her research at The 2nd International Conference on Gender and Feminism (ICOGEF) 2025, organized by the Gender Study Center of Universitas Jember on 27–28 September 2025.

Zulfa’s research explores the phenomenon of Indonesian female public figures who decided to remove religious attributes such as the hijab or niqab, and how this decision is represented and debated on social media, particularly Instagram.

Drawing on Heidi Campbell’s Digital Religion theory and Michel Foucault’s concept of Normalization, the study examines how religion, identity, and social meanings are transformed in the digital sphere. The research analyzes netizens’ comments on public figures’ posts over a one-week period to map patterns of response, acceptance, and resistance.

The findings reveal that social media has become a crucial space for public figures to shape their religious identity in a more personal way. At the same time, netizens play a significant role in determining whether an action is considered acceptable or deviant through the comments they share.

Research supervisor Nur Hidayah emphasized the relevance of this study. “Research on Muslim religiosity in digital spaces, particularly regarding women and their religious symbols, is very important. In digital spaces, anyone can directly engage in religious discussions,” she explained. She added that Zulfa’s findings are compelling as they show a shift in religious authority, which is no longer held solely by religious scholars as in non-digital contexts.

This international conference featured speakers and examiners from various countries, including Prof. Saskia Wieringa (University of Amsterdam), Dr. Jongwhi Park (United Nations University), and Prof. Karima Laachir (Australian National University). Zulfa’s participation in this academic forum highlights UNU Jogja students’ contributions to global discourse on gender, religion, and digital media. [Latifah]