Exploring the role of coffee shop culture in fostering social resilience in post-tsunami Aceh, Indonesia

Community resilience has emerged as a critical lens for understanding how societies recover and rebuild in the wake of disaster, particularly in regions vulnerable to recurring crises. This study explores the unique role of coffee shop culture in fostering social resilience within the Muslim community of Banda Aceh, Indonesia–an area devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and disrupted the region’s social fabric. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork with 20 in-depth interviews and site observations conducted in Banda Aceh, this study uncovers how informal spaces such as coffee shops serve as culturally embedded platforms for psychosocial support, religiously appropriate socialisation, and informal knowledge exchange. Thematic analysis reveals three interrelated functions of these establishments: (i) socially accepted venues for leisure under Islamic Sharia’ law, (ii) informal hubs for community dialogue and information dissemination, and (iii) anchors of social continuity and resilience post-disaster. This research offers a novel contribution by linking “third place” theory to Islamic sociocultural contexts and post-disaster recovery, providing new insights into how everyday public spaces can contribute to long-term resilience. The findings are relevant to disaster-prone regions and global debates on the role of localised, culturally meaningful infrastructure in shaping post-crisis community recovery and cohesion.