Decolonizing Islamic Education In The Global South: Reassessing Indigenous Knowledge And Curriculum Transformation In Indonesian Pesantren

Abstract

This study examines the decolonization of Islamic education as an urgent epistemological and pedagogical project in the Global South, placing Indonesian Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) as the primary locus of analysis. Through a postcolonial and decolonial framework, the study argues that the dominance of Western epistemology in the contemporary Islamic education paradigm not only marginalizes indigenous knowledge but also distorts local Islamic identities historically constructed through the tradition of pesantren knowledge transmission. Adopting a socio-educational analysis approach and the philosophy of Islamic education, this article explores four critical dimensions: first, the reconstruction of pesantren epistemology based on local wisdom and the Nusantara Islamic scholarly tradition; second, curriculum transformation as a decolonial response to global educational standardization; third, the negotiation between religious knowledge, modern science, and Islamic identity in the context of globalization; and fourth, the strategic position of pesantren as epistemological spaces of resistance and alternative knowledge production. This study synthesizes recent literature from Islamic education discourse, decolonial studies, and curriculum theory to demonstrate that Islamic boarding schools are not merely religious institutions but also spaces of decolonial praxis that maintain epistemological autonomy amidst the pressures of modernization and globalization. The article's theoretical contribution lies in offering an integrative epistemological framework that transcends the West-East dichotomy in Islamic education studies, while simultaneously positioning Islamic boarding schools as an alternative educational model that is contextual and relevant for Muslims in the Global South.