The Development of Islamic Studies in Indonesia: Themes, Approaches, and Contemporary Challenges

Abstract

This article discusses the development of Islamic Studies in Indonesia by mapping its major themes, academic approaches, and contemporary challenges. Islamic Studies in Indonesia has grown from pesantren-based religious learning, madrasah education, and Islamic higher education into an interdisciplinary field that studies Islam as doctrine, tradition, culture, institution, discourse, and lived experience. Using a narrative literature review, this article identifies several dominant themes, including textual Islamic sciences, Islamic education, Islamic law, local Muslim culture, Islam and public life, gender and youth, popular piety, and digital Islam. The article also explains several approaches used in Indonesian Islamic Studies, namely normative-theological, historical, sociological, anthropological, philological, interdisciplinary, and digital religion approaches. The discussion shows that Indonesian Islamic Studies is characterized by the interaction between classical Islamic knowledge, local cultural realities, modern academic institutions, and contemporary social transformation. The main challenges include balancing normativity and academic criticism, improving research methodology, internationalizing Indonesian scholarship, responding to digital transformation, and maintaining publication ethics. The article argues that the future of Indonesian Islamic Studies depends on its ability to remain rooted in Islamic intellectual traditions while also engaging contemporary interdisciplinary scholarship.