ISLAMIC BOARDING SCHOOLS (PESANTREN) AND THE CHALLENGES OF MODERNITY: RESPONSES TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32478/leadership.v7i2.4567

Authors

  • Muhammad Syukri Pulungan UIN Syekh Ali Hasan Ahmad Addary Sumatera Utara -  Indonesia
  • Kombang Tua Siregar UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta -  Indonesia
  • Burhanuddin Siregar UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta -  Indonesia
  • Aris Munandar UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta -  Indonesia

Abstract

This study aims to analyze pesantren’s responses to modernity and to uncover the epistemological and practical dynamics that surround them. Modernity is suspected to erode the authority of classical scholarly traditions and displace cultural values, thereby generating fragmentation within pesantren identity. The method employed in this research is library research with a qualitative approach. Data were collected from academic literature and analyzed descriptively through the stages of data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that pesantren’s responses to modernity are diverse. First, some pesantren adopt a resistant stance in order to safeguard the authenticity of classical Islamic scholarship. Second, others take a progressive position by integrating science and technology as instruments of institutional transformation. Third, certain pesantren adopt a moderate orientation through selective integration strategies that seek to maintain a balance between the preservation of tradition and the utilization of technology. This study asserts that modernity should not be viewed merely as a threat but rather as a sphere of epistemological negotiation that enables the emergence of a creative synthesis between Islamic tradition and technological innovationn.

Keywords: Pesantren; Modernity; Knowledge; Technology; Islamic Education

 

Abstrak

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis respons pesantren terhadap modernitas dan mengungkapkan dinamika epistemologis serta praksis yang melingkupinya. Modernitas disinyalir berpotensi mengikis otoritas tradisi keilmuan klasik dan menggeser nilai kultural yang menimbulkan fragmentasi identitas pesantren. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah studi pustaka (library research) dengan pendekatan kualitatif. Data dikumpulkan dari literatur akademik yang kemudian di analisis secara deskriptif kualitatif melalui tahapan reduksi data, penyajian data, dan penarikan kesimpulan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa respons pesantren terhadap modernitas bersifat beragam. Pertama, sebagian pesantren menempuh sikap resistif untuk menjaga otentisitas tradisi keilmuan Islam klasik. Kedua, terdapat pesantren yang bersikap progresif dengan mengintegrasikan ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi sebagai instrumen transformasi kelembagaan. Ketiga, beberapa pesantren mengambil posisi moderatif melalui strategi integrasi selektif yang berusaha menjaga keseimbangan antara konservasi tradisi dan pemanfaatan teknologi. Studi ini menegaskan bahwa modernitas tidak semestinya diposisikan sebagai ancaman, melainkan sebagai ruang negosiasi epistemologis yang memungkinkan lahirnya sintesis kreatif antara tradisi keislaman dan inovasi teknologi.

Kata kunci: Pesantren; Modernitas; Ilmu Pengetahuan; Teknologi; Pendidikan Islam

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Aris Munandar, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta

    Mahasiswa Doktoral

References

Abdurrahman, A., Baharuddin, B., & Hady, M. S. (2025). Change Management Strategies for Enhancing Education Quality at Islamic Boarding School. Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Pendidikan, 17(1), 930–941. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v17i1.6009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v17i1.6009

Achmadin, B. Z., Kawakip, A. N., Nafis, M. M., Barizi, A., Asrori, M., & Amrullah, A. M. K. (2024). The Future of Pesantren: Reconciling Tradition with Global Educational Trends. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam (Journal of Islamic Education Studies), 12(2), 197–222. https://doi.org/10.15642/jpai.2024.12.2.197-222

Arizqi, A. I. P., Nisa, U. W., Abdullah, A. F., & Kurniawan, M. I. (2025). The Role of Islamic Boarding Schools in Digital Literacy: Strategies to Shape a Critical and Productive Muslim Generation. At-Ta’dib, 20(1), 116–125. https://doi.org/10.21111/attadib.v20i1.14588

Asmani, J. M. (2003). Menggagas Pesantren Masa Depan: Geliat Suara Sntri untuk Indonesia Baru. Yogyakarta: Qirtas.

Azra, A. (1999). Pendidikan Islam: Tradisi dan Modernisasi Menuju Milenium Baru. Ciputat: Logos Wacana Ilmu.

Bano, N., Ahmad, H., Hassan, J., & Razaq, R. (2022). Principles of Religious Pluralism. Religions, 14(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14010020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14010020

Bruinessen, M. van. (2013). Contemporary Developments in Indonesian Islam: Explaining the “Conservative Turn.” Singapura: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

Cook, B. J. (1999). Islamic Versus Western Conceptions of Education: Reflections on Egypt. International Review of Education, 45(3), 339–358. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003808525407 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003808525407

Dhofier, Z. (2011). Tradisi Pesantren: Studi Pandangan Hidup Kyai dan Visinya mengenai Masa Depan Indonesia (Cet. 8 rev). Jakarta: LP3ES.

Đuderija, A. (2017). The imperatives of progressive Islam. London: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315438849

Engineer, A. A. (1989). Religion and Liberation. Delhi: Ajanta Publications.

Esack, F. (1997). Qur’an Liberation and Pluralism: An Islamic Perspective of Interreligious Solidarity Against Oppression. Oxford: Oneworld Publications.

Fealy, G., & Bush, R. (2014). The Political Decline of Traditional Ulama in Indonesia: The State, Umma and Nahdlatul Ulama. Asian Journal of Social Science, 42(5), 536–560. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685314-04205004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/15685314-04205004

Haedari, M. A., Hanif, A., Masykur, A., & Adib, M. (2006). Masa Depan Pesantren: Dalam Tantangan Modernitas dan Tantangan Kompleksitas Global. Jakarta: IRD Press.

Ḥanafī, Ḥasan. (2000). Islam in the Modern World: Religion, Ideology and Development. Heliopolis: Dar Kebaa Bookshop.

Huntington, S. P. (2011). The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Intan, B. F. (2023). Religious Pluralism, Public Religion, and Principled Pluralism in Indonesia. Transformation, 40(4), 334–349. https://doi.org/10.1177/02653788231206020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/02653788231206020

Isbah, M. F. (2020). Pesantren in the Changing Indonesian Context: History and Current Developments. QIJIS (Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies), 8(1), 65. https://doi.org/10.21043/qijis.v8i1.5629 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21043/qijis.v8i1.5629

Krisdiyanto, G., Muflikha, M., Sahara, E. E., & Mahfud, C. (2019). Sistem Pendidikan Pesantren dan Tantangan Modernitas. Tarbawi : Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan, 15(1), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.32939/tarbawi.v15i1.337 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32939/tarbawi.v15i1.337

Kuntowijoyo. (2004). Islam sebagai Ilmu: Epistemologi, Metodologi, dan Etika. Bandung: Teraju.

Lukens-Bull, R. (2010). Madrasa By Any Other Name: Pondok, Pesantren, and Islamic Schools in Indonesia and Larger Southeast Asian Region. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 4(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2010.4.1.1-21 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2010.4.1.1-21

Mandaville, P. (2007). Globalization and the Politics of Religious Knowledge: Pluralizing Authority in the Muslim World. Theory, Culture & Society, 24(2), 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276407074998 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276407074998

Mohammad_Thoha, M., & Hannan, A. (2022). Modernization of Education Governance Based on Accelerative Paradigm Among Pesantren Communities in Madura, Indonesia. Ulumuna, 26(2), 417–446. https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v26i2.515 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v26i2.515

Moleong, L. J. (2002). Metodologi Penelitian Kualitatif. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya.

Mujab, M. (2016). The Role of Pesantren on the Development Islamic Science in Indonesia. MIQOT: Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Keislaman, 37(2), 415–437. https://doi.org/10.30821/miqot.v37i2.90 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30821/miqot.v37i2.90

Mujahid, I. (2021). Islamic Orthodoxy-Based Character Education: Creating Moderate Muslim in a Modern Pesantren in Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 11(2), 185–212. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v11i2.185-212 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v11i2.185-212

Munir, & Nor, M. R. M. (2024). Characteristics of Preserving Salafiyah Islamic Boarding School Traditions: Lessons from Indonesia and Malaysia. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 10(1), 67–88. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpi.2021.101.67-88 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14421/jpi.2021.101.67-88

Musfah, J., Zakaria, R., Sofyan, A., Sayuti, W., Ridho, K., Fauzan, F., & Muawam, M. (2020). Pesantren-Based School Curriculum Integration Model in Indonesia. MANAGERIA: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 5(2), 223–240. https://doi.org/10.14421/manageria.2020.52-13 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14421/manageria.2020.52-13

Mustofa, M. Y., Mas’ud, A., & Elizabeth, M. Z. (2023). Hybrid Pesantren in Indonesia; Analyzing the Transformation of Islamic Religious Education in the Digital Age. Al-Tadzkiyyah: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 4(2), 79–104. https://doi.org/10.24042/atjpi.v14i1.16928

Muthmainnah, S., Bachtiar, F., Yassin, A., & Sulistyowati, E. (2025). Islamic Education Development Prospects: Study of The Future and Its Challenges. Jurnal Pendidikan Progresif, 15(3), 1604–1619. https://doi.org/10.23960/jpp.v15i3.pp1604-1619 DOI: https://doi.org/10.23960/jpp.v15i3.pp1604-1619

Mu’ti, A. (2023). Pluralistic Islamic Religious Education: A Vision for Indonesia. The Review of Faith & International Affairs, 21(2), 121–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2023.2200280 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2023.2200280

Negara, M. A. P. (2023). Pembaharuan Diskursus Teologi Islam: Studi atas Pemikiran Asghar Ali Engineer. Jurnal Pemikiran Islam, 3(1), 52–69. https://doi.org/10.22373/jpi.v3i1.17624 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22373/jpi.v3i1.17624

Nilan, P. (2009). The ‘Spirit of Education’ in Indonesian Pesantren. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 30(2), 219–232. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425690802700321 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01425690802700321

Pohl, F. (2011). Negotiating Religious and National Identities in Contemporary Indonesian Islamic Education. CrossCurrents, 61(3), 399–414. https://doi.org/10.1353/cro.2011.a782522 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/cro.2011.a782522

Pomalingo, S., Kamaruzzaman, K., Idaman, I., & Tangahu, W. (2024). Navigating Tradition and Modernity: The Impact of Transnational Islam in Gorontalo, Indonesia. Progresiva : Jurnal Pemikiran Dan Pendidikan Islam, 13(3), 313–336. (This study focuses on the dynamics of transnational Islamic ideologies in Gorontalo, Indonesia, and their interaction with local culture and society.). https://doi.org/10.22219/progresiva.v13i03.35868 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22219/progresiva.v13i03.35868

Rohman, A., & Muhtamiroh, S. (2022). Integrating Schools and Pesantren Model to Enhance The Quality of Indonesian Madrasa in The Globalization Era. Al-Ulum, 22(2), 507–526. https://doi.org/10.30603/au.v22i2.3486

Roy, O. (2017). Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah. Islamology, 7(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.24848/islmlg.07.1.01 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24848/islmlg.07.1.01

Seftika Nur Asyiah, Puput Puspita Sari, & Mas’udin. (2025). Islamic Education in Traditional Pesantren: A Comprehensive Analysis of Teaching Methods and their Variations. Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan dan Sains Islam Interdisipliner, 57–62. https://doi.org/10.59944/jipsi.v4i2.420 DOI: https://doi.org/10.59944/jipsi.v4i2.420

Sindhunata (Ed.). (2000). Menggagas Paradigma Baru Pendidikan: Demokratisasi, Otonomi, Civil Cociety, Globalisasi. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Kanisius.

Steenbrink, K. A. (1986). Pesantren, Madrasah, Sekolah: Pendidikan Islam dalam Kurun Moderen. Jakarta: LP3ES.

Suhaimi, S. (2024). The Relationship of Progressivism Philosophy with Modern Islamic Society. Tazkiah: Journal Of Islamic Education, 3(2), 1–7. Diambil dari https://jurnal.stairokanpress.or.id/index.php/JIET/article/view/13

Suwendi, S., Gama, C. B., Farabi, M. F. F., Fuady, F., & Arman, A. (2024). Roles and Challenges of Pesantren Intellectual Networks. Jurnal Ilmiah Islam Futura, 24(2), 453. https://doi.org/10.22373/jiif.v24i2.23134 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22373/jiif.v24i2.23134

Wahid, A. (2001). Menggerakkan Tradisi: Esai-Esai Pesantren. Yogyakarta: LKis.

Wahid, A. (2006). Islamku, Islam Anda, Islam Kita: Agama Masyarakat Negara Demokrasi. Jakarta: Wahid Institute.

Yumitro, G., & Prasetya, D. M. (2018). Pesantren’s Resistance Against Cultural Globalization. MIQOT: Jurnal Ilmu-ilmu Keislaman, 41(2). https://doi.org/10.30821/miqot.v41i2.391 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30821/miqot.v41i2.391

Zaman, M. Q. (2010). The Ulama in Contemporary Islam: Custodians of Change. Princeton: Princeton University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400837519

Zarkasyi, H. F. (2020). Imam Zarkasyi’s Modernization of Pesantren in Indonesia (A Case Study of Darussalam Gontor). QIJIS (Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies), 8(1), 161. https://doi.org/10.21043/qijis.v8i1.5760 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21043/qijis.v8i1.5760

Zed, M. (2008). Metode Penelitian Kepustakaan. Jakarta: Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia.

Downloads

Published

2026-06-20

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

ISLAMIC BOARDING SCHOOLS (PESANTREN) AND THE CHALLENGES OF MODERNITY: RESPONSES TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (M. S. . Pulungan, K. T. . Siregar, B. . Siregar, & A. Munandar , Trans.). (2026). Leadership: Jurnal Mahasiswa Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 7(2), 428-448. https://doi.org/10.32478/leadership.v7i2.4567