MADRASA BY ANY OTHER NAME: Pondok, Pesantren, and Islamic Schools in Indonesia and Larger Southeast Asian Region

Abstract

After more than a decade studying the Indonesian pesantren, the author had an opportunity to visit similar institutions in Thailand. After placing them in historical context, this paper explores how these institutions vary in Southeast Asia. Although it is reasonable to presume that pondok between different countries and areas in the region started out virtually indistinguishable in form and function, local and national histories have shaped them differently. This paper explicitly compares pondok in three distinct areas: Indonesia, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, and the Deep South in Thailand; the former two based on fieldwork and the latter based on literature review. It is common for some analysts and governments to associate pondok with violence. The evidence suggests that this is misplaced. The paper concludes that before an authoritative statement can be made on this point, more research is needed.

Dinamika Pendidikan Islam Di Thailand Pada Abad 19-20

“…Strategi politik yang digunakan raja Thai agar negaranya tidak mendapat serangan dari luar adalah dengan membayar upeti kepada Inggris, Perancis, Amerika Serikat, Denmark, Belanda, Prusia atau Jerman. 1 Kecerdikan strategi politik inilah, Thailand mendapat julukan dari negara luar sebagai negara bebas yang tidak sama sekali mendapat sentuhan dari penjajah. 2 Kebebasan itu, membuat nama negara Thailand yang pada awalnya adalah Siam.…”

Indonesian Transnational Community in the Middle East: The Case of Gontor Alumni Association

“…Pondok, if translated into English, become Islamic boarding schools. However, Ronald Lukens Bull (2010), in his research, did not change the word pesantren into English because it would reduce the essence of the meaning of pesantren and not yet represent the sacredness of pesantren [17]. Some other words are used in various regions, such as Islamic boarding schools in Madura, rank meunasah in Aceh, and surau in Padang [18].…”

Sex Education in Pesantren: The Study of Kitab on Sex Manuals in Pesantren in Bandung, West Java

“…All of the pesantren can be categorised as salafiyyah 7 (pesantren salaf; traditional) as opposed to pesantren khalaf (modern). 8 In pesantren salaf they continue the tradition of studying the classical Islamic textbooks known as kitab kuning (lit. yellow books, as they are printed on yellow paper).…”