<![CDATA[This article revisits Islam in the south-western region of Central Java, particularly Penginyongan, through Talal Asad's concept of discursive tradition, highlighting Islam as a historically situated and socially negotiated practice. Using a qualitative historical approach, this study examines the formation and transformation of kiai networks in the Penginyongan region of Central Java. The data were collected through archival research and oral history interviews with ten key informants, including direct descendants and individuals with familial ties to historical figures associated with local pesantren. The study explores how Sufism and ulama networks shaped religious authority and local Islamic identity. The article presents three key findings. First, Sufi-based ulama networks cultivated an exemplary Muslim community that contributed to the genesis of Indonesian Islamic nationhood, particularly through the legacy of Diponegoro’s anti-colonial struggle. Second, these networks facilitated the vernacularization of Islam by translating Islamic teachings into local cultural and linguistic forms. Third, they promoted religious purification through localized negotiations of Sharia and Sufi ethics rather than rigid reformism. The study contends that Islam in Penginyongan is neither a fixed tradition nor simply a local adaptation, but a dynamic discursive formation shaped by historical processes, power relations, and cultural mediation.]]>
Copyrights © 2026
