Nahdlatul Ulama in Solo Raya: Fragmentation, Penetration, and Elite Capture

This study examines the political dynamics of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in Solo Raya through the interconnected processes of elite fragmentation, political penetration, and elite capture. Unlike many traditional NU strongholds in East Java, Solo Raya reflects a more fragmented socio-religious landscape shaped by abangan culture, competing Islamic organizations, and complex local political relations. Using a qualitative case study approach, the research draws on data collected between 2023 and 2025 through in-depth interviews, participant observation, focus group discussions, and document analysis. The study employs the perspective of Strategic Action Fields (SAFs) to understand NU as a relational field in which authority, legitimacy, and political access are continuously negotiated across competing networks. The findings show that authority within NU is dispersed across networks of kiai, pesantren, Banom, and local elites, creating a fragmented structure that allows political parties, state actors, and economic elites to penetrate the organization through patronage relations, symbolic legitimacy, bureaucratic access, and informal political networks. Over time, these dynamics generate elite capture, organizational stagnation, and increasing dependency on external political interests. While NU retains strong socio-cultural legitimacy at the grassroots level, its institutional autonomy becomes increasingly constrained by patronage networks, elite competition, and political adaptation. The study argues that fragmentation, penetration, and elite capture evolve as interconnected relational processes continuously reproducing power within the NU field in Solo Raya.