Pedagogy of Coexistence: Negotiating Islamic Identity and Religious Moderation in Hindu-Majority Bali.

Kholil Kholil (Pascasarjana Institut Ahmad Dahlan Probolinggo)
Khoiriyah (Pascasarjana Institut Ahmad Dahlan Probolinggo)

Al-hikmah : International Journal of Islamic Studies
Vol. 2 No. 2 (2026): Desember

Religious diversity poses an important educational challenge concerning how schools can strengthen students’ religious identity while simultaneously cultivating openness, intergroup understanding, and constructive participation in plural societies. This study examines how Islamic identity is constructed and negotiated through curriculum and educational practices in madrasahs situated within Hindu-majority communities in Bali, and how these processes generate a pedagogy of coexistence that supports religious moderation. A qualitative multiple-case study was conducted across four Islamic secondary schools in Tabanan, Bali, involving 40 participants comprising principals, vice-principals for curriculum, Islamic Religious Education teachers, and students. Data were collected through curriculum document analysis and semi-structured interviews and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, within-case analysis, and cross-case comparison. The findings show that Islamic identity was constructed through religious anchoring accompanied by context-sensitive social openness rather than social withdrawal. The madrasahs maintained relatively firm theological boundaries while allowing more permeable social and cultural boundaries through selective cultural incorporation, structured intergroup encounters, reflective dialogue, and shared social action. These processes fostered empathy, perspective-taking, cultural intelligence, critical reasoning, peaceful conflict management, and critical digital literacy. The study conceptualises pedagogy of coexistence as a psychopedagogical process that begins with religious anchoring, develops through identity security, boundary awareness, and contextual negotiation, and is strengthened through structured encounter, reflective meaning-making, and shared action, contributing to coexistence competence. The findings contribute to educational psychology and Islamic education by showing how secure religious identity can support reflective, peaceful, and socially productive coexistence in multireligious settings.