A Battle on Social Media: Critical Discourse Analysis of the Sampradaya in Bali

Abstract This study focuses on the discourse battle on Facebook between two ideological perspectives on the existence of Sampradaya in Bali. Sampradaya refers to the Hindu spiritual community in Bali which has been adopting new traditions and practices from India since 1980. Since then, their presence in Bali has faced opposition, including the prohibition of Hare Krishna literature and the closure of Hare Krishna learning centers. Starting in 2019, this resistance has created a battleground of conflicting narratives that influence the public. This research aims to comprehend the representation of ideological perspectives and discourse battle strategies within the Sampradaya discourse on Facebook. This study combines Teun van Dijk’s discourse analysis model and nethnography. The analyzed discourses consist of 10 instances from 2022 to 2023. The research findings reveal dominant and marginal discourses representing ideological beliefs and political systems. The strategies employed include reproduction, distinction, rejection, exclusion, and transformation.