The Construction of Symbolic Capital and the Religious Authority of Local Ulama in the Islamization of Pangandaran Coastal Communities

This study examines the construction of religious authority by local ulama and the process of Islamization in Pangandaran, a coastal region south of West Java, a strategic point of trade and cultural interaction in the archipelago. Islamization in coastal areas is organic and inclusive, unlike in centers of power, because coastal communities are egalitarian, cosmopolitan, and open to change. Local ulama act as social mediators, religious teachers, and interpreters of Islamic values to align with local traditions, making Islamic teachings grounded and relevant in everyday life. The legitimacy of ulama is built through symbolic capital in the form of ulama lineage, personal piety, moral example, knowledge, and charisma, which are reproduced through Islamic boarding school education, religious rituals, and social engagement. Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical approach on habitus, symbolic capital, and social arena, combined with Max Weber's typology of authority, is used to analyze how ulama acquire, maintain, and reproduce religious authority contextually. Data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews with ulama and community leaders, and field documentation, supplemented by secondary data from scientific literature and historical archives. The analysis was conducted using descriptive-analytical and symbolic hermeneutics to interpret religious practices and social interactions as a medium for the reproduction of symbolic capital. The results show that the authority of ulama in Pangandaran is hybrid, combining traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal legitimacy, and functions as a moral, social, and spiritual agent that balances local traditions with Islamic values. Islamization in coastal areas occurs through cultural da'wah and symbolic acculturation, resulting in a moderate, flexible, and inclusive form of Islam. This research enriches the study of the sociology of religion and the anthropology of Islam by emphasizing the symbolic and cultural dimensions of Islamization, while highlighting the role of local ulama as the main drivers of social and spiritual transformation in coastal communities.