Berkala Ilmiah Pendidikan
Vol. 6 No. 2 (2026): Berkala Ilmiah Pendidikan

Transformative Multiculturalism in Islamic Higher Education: Reconstructing Academic Culture through the Synergy of Teaching, Research, and Community Engagement

Mahmud Nasir (Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo Semarang, Indonesia)
Syamsul Maarif (Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo Semarang, Indonesia)
Ruswan Ruswan (Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo Semarang, Indonesia)
Abdul Aziz (Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
22 Jul 2026

Abstract

This study was motivated by the growing need to manage diversity in Islamic Higher Education Institutions (Perguruan Tinggi Keagamaan Islam, PTKI), particularly as multiculturalism is still often understood normatively as tolerance, religious moderation, or the prevention of radicalism, rather than as a transformative academic culture. This study aims to analyze the transformation of multiculturalism in PTKI through the reconstruction of academic culture based on the synergy of the three missions of higher education. Employing a qualitative approach, this study used library research as its research design. The data were obtained from academic books, journal articles, previous studies, policy documents, and relevant literature on multicultural education, critical pedagogy, religious moderation, academic culture, and Islamic higher education. The data were collected through documentation and analyzed using critical-interpretative analysis through the stages of data condensation, thematic categorization, critical interpretation, and conceptual synthesis. The findings indicate that the strengthening of multiculturalism in PTKI remains largely normative-formalistic, previous studies have predominantly focused on the issues of moderation, curriculum, and institutional policy, and the three missions of higher education have not been sufficiently positioned as a basis for multicultural transformation. This study produces a conceptual construction called the Transformative Multiculturalism Framework in Islamic Higher Education, which integrates the epistemological foundation of inclusive Islam, multicultural education, critical pedagogy, deliberative democracy, religious moderation, and the synergy of the three missions of higher education. This framework contributes to the development of multicultural Islamic education studies and serves as a practical reference for PTKI in building an academic culture that is democratic, inclusive, reflective, and emancipatory.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

bip

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Other

Description

Berkala Ilmiah Pendidikan (Online ISSN 2775-5312) publishes original articles on the latest issues and trends occurring in education curriculum, instruction, learning, policy, and preparation of teachers with the aim to advance our knowledge of education theory and practice. Moreover, this journal ...