Ketupat as Vernacular Islamic Symbol: Locality, Globalization, and the Philosophy of Lived Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia

Ketupat, which is always present in the Indonesian and Malaysian social landscape during Eid al-Fitr celebrations, has undergone a reinterpretation following the rise of globalization and modernism. However, in its journey, the locality of ketupat has had to negotiate with foreign influences, giving rise to various challenges that have impacted not only the philosophical meaning of ketupat itself but also its social and environmental implications. Therefore, this article seeks to answer the question of how ketupat is constructed and reconstructed as a symbol of Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as how ketupat, as a local element, faces the challenges of globalization. When ketupat is reproduced as a decorative and commercial element that follows the logic of the modern market, it causes an ecological crisis due to shifts in materials and mass production practices. This has the potential to erode not only its relationship with the environment but also the philosophical meaning embedded within it. By placing ketupat within the framework of vernacular Islam and globalization, this article argues that ketupat is not merely a culinary cultural heritage, but a symbol of ongoing negotiation between the philosophical meanings of vernacular Islam, economics, and ecology in contemporary Islamic practices in Indonesia and Malaysia.