Transformation of Darussalam Islamic Boarding School in Garut (1986–2021): Institutional, Educational, and Social Dynamics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24256/jiis.v5i2.11435Keywords:
Pesantren Transformation, Islamic Education, Modernization, Institutional Adaptation, DarussalamAbstract
This study examines the transformation of Pondok Pesantren Darussalam Kersamanah, Garut, from 1986 to 2021 as a dynamic process of institutional adaptation within contemporary Islamic education in Indonesia. This study addresses an important gap in pesantren studies, as previous research has largely focused on general modernization trends, while limited attention has been given to longitudinal historical analyses of pesantren transformation using institutional perspectives. This research employs a historical method involving heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. Data were collected from archival documents, institutional records, internal publications, and interviews with key informants. Talcott Parsons’ structural-functional theory was employed as the analytical framework to examine how pesantren adapt to changing social and educational environments while maintaining institutional continuity. The findings reveal that the transformation of Pondok Pesantren Darussalam occurred through three major phases: the pioneering phase (1986–1995), the consolidation phase (1996–2008), and the expansion phase (2009–2021). The transformation involved three major dimensions: institutional transformation, educational transformation, and social transformation. The findings show that Darussalam successfully evolved from a relatively small pesantren into a modern Islamic educational institution through governance restructuring, educational innovation, infrastructure expansion, digital adaptation, and economic strengthening. Despite significant modernization, the pesantren maintained its core identity through the preservation of Islamic values, discipline, classical Islamic scholarship, and character formation. This study demonstrates that pesantren transformation in contemporary Indonesia should be understood as a multidimensional process involving adaptation, continuity, modernization, and institutional sustainability. The study contributes to broader discussions on pesantren studies and Islamic education by offering a structural-functional perspective for understanding the transformation of Islamic educational institutions in modern Indonesia.
References
Abdullah, M. A. (2017). Islamic studies in higher education in Indonesia: Challenges, impact and prospects. UIN Sunan Kalijaga Press.
Ajang, S. (2026a). “Perkembangan lembaga Pendidikan Pesantren Darussalam 1995-2010.” Wawancara.
Ajang, S. (2026b). Sejarah Cikal Bakal Darussalam. Wawancara.
Azra, A. (2012). Pendidikan Islam: Tradisi dan modernisasi di tengah tantangan milenium III. Kencana.
Bruinessen, M. V. (1995). Kitab kuning, pesantren, dan tarekat. Mizan.
Darussalam, S. P. (1999). MIKDAR, Perkembangan dan Kemanjuan Pesatren Darussalam. Alqa Print, 18.
Darussalam, S. P. (2003). MIKDAR, TMMI Kembali ke Enam Jam Pelajaran. Alqa Print, 8.
Darussalam, S. P. (2006a). MIKDAR, Pembenahan Proses KBM di TMI Darussalam. Alqa Print, 7.
Darussalam, S. P. (2006b). MIKDAR, Poskestren Darussalam. Alqa Print, 38.
Darussalam, S. P. (2007). MIKDAR, Pengajuan Penyetaraan TMI dengan Universitas Al-Azhar Mesir. Alqa Print, 9.
Darussalam, S. P. (2009). MIKDAR, Tarbiyyatul Mua’llimin / Mua’llimat Al-Islamiyyah (TMI). Alqa Print, 24.
Darussalam, S. P. (2010a). MIKDAR, Badan Wakaf Pondok Pesantren Darussalam. Alqa Print, 45.
Darussalam, S. P. (2010b). MIKDAR, Peningkatan Kaualitas Guru. Alqa Print, 21.
Darussalam, S. P. (2011). MIKDAR, Peningkatan Kualitas Guru. Alqa Print, 19.
Darussalam, S. P. (2012). MIKDAR, Pembangunan Sarana. Alqa Print, 61.
Darussalam, S. P. (2015). MIKDAR, Aktivitas TMI. Bilbarkah, 13.
Dhofier, Z. (2011). Tradisi pesantren: Studi pandangan hidup kyai dan visinya mengenai masa depan Indonesia (Revised ed.). LP3ES.
Fuady, S. (2024). Educational modernization and innovation in Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia. International Journal of Innovative Educational Research, 1(3), 52–71.
Geertz, C. (1960). The religion of Java. Free Press.
Gottschalk, L. (1986). Mengerti sejarah. UI Press.
Gumilar, S. (2019). The Islamic Scholars ’ Movement in Garut , Contents 1998-2007 West Java , Indonesia , Contents. 29–42.
Hasan, Adang & Devi, M. (2026). Perkembangan pondok Pesantren Darussalam. Wawancara.
Huda, M. (2025). Modernization of Islamic boarding school education in Indonesia. Cendekia: Jurnal Kependidikan dan Kemasyarakatan, 23(1), 45–62.
Ilyas, M. (2022). Education transformation model of traditional pesantren in Indonesia. Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Pendidikan, 14(4), 667–682.
Joko Waluyo. (1966). MIKDAR ( Pesantren Putri "Darussalam sebagai Prospektif Pendidikan Wanita). Alqa Print, 13.
Kuntowijoyo. (2005). Pengantar ilmu sejarah. Bentang.
Lukens-Bull, R. (2000). Teaching morality: Javanese Islamic education in a globalizing era. Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies, 3, 26–47.
Lukens-Bull, R. (2001). Two sides of the same coin: Modernity and tradition in Islamic education in Indonesia. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 32(3), 350–372.
Madjid, N. (1997). Bilik-bilik pesantren: Sebuah potret perjalanan. Paramadina.
Mastuhu. (1994). Dinamika sistem pendidikan pesantren. INIS.
Muharrom, D. (2026). Sejarah Cikal Bakal Pesantren Darussalam. Wawancara.
Mujamil, Q. (2007). Pesantren: Dari transformasi metodologi menuju demokratisasi institusi. Erlangga.
Moleong, L. J. (2018). Metodologi penelitian kualitatif. Remaja Rosdakarya.
Nerla Misriani Saleh, A. H. (2010). Eksistensi Pondok Pesantren Cipari Garut Pada MasaKepemimpinan K.H. Amin Bunyamin Tahun 1977-2010. 3, 18.
Nisa, D. (2024). Pesantren transformation in the digital era. Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 9(2), 101–118.
Parsons, T. (2013). The social system (Routledge. (ed.)). Routledge.
Qomar, M. (2006). Pesantren: Dari transformasi metodologi menuju demokratisasi institusi. Erlangga.
Renier, G. J. (1997). Metode dan manfaat ilmu sejarah. Pustaka Pelajar.
Roqib, M. (2021). Increasing social class through Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 12(2), 305–329.
Scott, W. R. (2014). Institutions and organizations: Ideas, interests, and identities (4th ed.). Sage.
Siregar, Y. D. (2026). The transformation of pesantren education from the new order to the digital era. Fitrah: Journal of Islamic Education, 17(1), 33–49.
Steenbrink, K. A. (1986). Pesantren, madrasah, sekolah: Pendidikan Islam dalam kurun modern. LP3ES.
Suntiah, R., Saadah, S., Darojat, & Aldi, U. (2026). The transformation of Islamic educational institutions in Indonesia: From surau to pesantren in the digital era. Al-Afkar Journal for Islamic Studies, 9(1), 781–792.
Thohir, A., & Sahidin, A. (2019). Filsafat sejarah: Profetik, spekulatif, dan kritis. Prenada Media.
Tilaar, H. A. R. (2012). Perubahan sosial dan pendidikan. Rineka Cipta.
Wahid, A. (2001). Menggerakkan tradisi: Esai-esai pesantren. LKiS.
Waluyo, J. (1997). MIKDAR (Computer Darussalam). Alqa Print, 3.
Yasmadi. (2005). Modernisasi pesantren: Kritik Nurcholish Madjid terhadap pendidikan Islam tradisional. Ciputat Press.
Ziemek, M. (1986). Pesantren dalam perubahan sosial. P3M.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Akbar Rahman Hakim, Ajid Thohir , Fathia Lestari

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with the Journal of Indonesian Islamic Studies agree to the following terms:
- Authors have retained full articles copyright and grant the Journal of Indonesian Islamic Studies right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the Journal of Indonesian Islamic Studies published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or edit it in a book), with an acknowledgment of initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see also deposit policy and archiving on page journal).



