The Instant Mastery of Kitab Kuning with the Al-Bidayah Method: Between Kiai Fractured Authority and Pesantren Tradition Preservation

Abstract

This research discusses the kitab kuning learning method in Islamic boarding schools called the Al-Bidayah method and how this approach is narrated as the antithesis of the bandongan approach tradition that has been established in pesantren. In pesantren, bandongan is considered by observers as a method that inherits the culture of rigid social class relations in Islamic boarding schools, especially between kiai, santri and society as a social group that is the object of the kiai's preaching. This is due to the basic character of bandongan which is designed to create an exclusive distance between the three social groups above. Meanwhile, the Al-Bidayah method has an inclusive basic character and with its mixture of the great traditions of pesantren and pop-culture typical of the younger generation, it can instantly break down rigid social divisions and classes. To discuss the social phenomena, this research uses Pierre Felix Bourdieu's theory of cultural reproduction and habitus. The results of this research state that the Al-Bidayah method uses an inter-directional learning and meaning model so that the students' abilities are more dynamic. The Al-Bidayah method also emphasizes discursive learning patterns with the language of instruction being translated from Arabic, but using Indonesian, so the researcher concludes that this approach is a form of desacralization of nahwu-sharaf which has been a special science in pesantren into a discipline that can be consumed and discussed. This approach also breaks down the chain of cultural reproduction of the bandongan tradition which emphasizes one-way learning and relies entirely on the authority of the kiai as the merely source of information and source of truth so that students who learn using this method will then, after returning to take part in society, be able to become social agents. in creating close relations between kiai, santri and the community.