Hijrah as Communicative practice: Constructing Religious Meaning through Text-Centric Instagram Carousels for Muslim Women

Abstract

This article examines how hijrah is constructed and communicated among Muslim women through text-centric Instagram carousel posts on the account @cewehijrah. While existing research on digital hijrah largely emphasizes visual expressions of piety, this article focuses on textual communicative practices as an emerging yet understudied form of digital religious engagement. Using a qualitative approach with thematic analysis, the study analyzes 16 posts published between late July and August 2024, selected based on engagement. The findings show that hijrah is articulated through three interconnected dimensions: platform-based devotional guidance, relational dynamics, and pragmatic orientations. Religious meaning is constructed through conversational language, affective resonance, and platform-specific features, rather than formal religious authority. These communicative practices position hijrah as an ongoing, relational, and practical process embedded in everyday digital life. The study contributes to mediatization research by highlighting how platform affordances shape religious meaning-making and by extending the analysis of digital religion beyond visual representation to how religious meaning is constructed through text-centric communicative forms.