Symbolic Power and the Discursive Construction of Obedience: Media Representations of Kiai–Santri Relations in the Context of Bida’ah Series
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25217/jf.v10i1.6252Keywords:
Kiai-Santri Relations, Media Representation, Pesantren, Symbolic PowerAbstract
This study examines the dynamics of power and obedience in the kiai-santri relationship as represented in the Malaysian series Bida'ah, by emphasizing the pesantren institution as a space for the production of symbolic power. The focus of this study is in the realm of sociology of power, media, and religious culture. This research is important because media representations play a role in shaping public perceptions of traditional authority structures in Malay Islam. The research method used is qualitative-ethnographic with a sociological-cultural approach, through narrative observation of the Bida’ah series and in-depth interviews with seven alumni of pesantren salaf in Jember, East Java. The results show that the kiai figure is represented as a symbolic power center with inviolable spiritual-charismatic authority, while santri show structural and emotional obedience within a patron-client framework. Non-verbal communication symbols and a culture of “pekewuh” reinforce this structure of domination. The findings also show symbolic resistance and reinterpretation of values by santri as a form of negotiation against the kiai's authority. This research contributes to broadening the understanding of power relations in traditional Islamic education and how popular media reproduce or criticize these structures. The findings suggest the importance of revisiting the dominant narrative in pesantren culture to be more inclusive of social change and critical thinking.
References
Abu Aman, Achmad As’ad Abd. Aziz, & Atiyatus Syarifah. (2023). Figur Kiai di Madura Perspektif Teori Pemikiran Kekuasaan (Politik) Al-Ghazali. NUANSA: Jurnal Penelitian Ilmu Sosial Dan Keagamaan Islam, 20(2), 143–162. https://doi.org/10.19105/nuansa.v20i2.8658
Alam, N. A. R. (2018). Strengthening Leadership Culture (The Role of Kyai in Indonesian Pesantren). At-Ta’dib, 13(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.21111/at-tadib.v13i1.1986
Ali Nasith. (2024). The Role of Kyai’s Charismatic Leadership in Mitigating Religious Intolerance and Radicalism in Pesantren: Indonesia. International Journal of Social Science and Religion (IJSSR), 203–230. https://doi.org/10.53639/ijssr.v5i2.238
Buaban, J. (2021). Gerontocracy of the Buddhist monastic administration in Thailand. Simulacra, 4(1), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.21107/sml.v4i1.9880
Faline Izza Nisa`u & Ahmad Arif Widianto. (2024). Kiai, Religious Authority, and Dynamics of Ngumbah Keris Tradition in Java, Indonesia. Fikri : Jurnal Kajian Agama, Sosial Dan Budaya, 9(2), 293–312. https://doi.org/10.25217/jf.v9i2.5009
Fauzi, M. L. (2012). Traditional Islam In Javanese Society: The Roles of Kyai and Pesantren in Preserving Islamic Tradition and Negotiating Modernity. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 6, 125–144. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2012.6.1.125-144
Firmansyah, Irja Putra Pratama, & Munir. (2024). Symbolic Meanings in the Social Interaction of Santri in the Pesantren Environment. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 8(3), 1086–1102. https://doi.org/10.35723/ajie.v8i3.698
Habibah, R. D., Rahmawati, A. D., Sosiologi, P., & Sosiologi, P. (2023). Kepemimpinan Kiai Pondok Pesantren Dalam Pengembangan Wisata Religi Menurut Perspektif Kepemimpinan Max Weber. 12(1). https://doi.org/10.21107/djs.v12i1.21641
Harnadi, D., Siahaan, H., & Hilmy, M. (2021). Pesantren and the preservation of traditional religious authority in the digital age. Masyarakat, Kebudayaan Dan Politik, 34(3), 272. https://doi.org/10.20473/mkp.V34I32021.272-280
Kelly, L. M. (n.d.). Focused Ethnography for Research on Community Development Non-Profit Organisations. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-22.2.3811
Khiyarusoleh, U. (2020). Konseling Indigenous Pesantren (Gaya Kepimpinan Kyai dalam Mendidik Santri). Jurnal Kependidikan: Jurnal Hasil Penelitian dan Kajian Kepustakaan di Bidang Pendidikan, Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran, 6(3), 441. https://doi.org/10.33394/jk.v6i3.2779
Nasution, R. D. (2017). Kyai Sebagai Agen Perubahan Sosial Dan Perdamaian Dalam Masyarakat Tradisional. Sosiohumaniora, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.24198/sosiohumaniora.v19i2.10346
Nauval, M. H. (2024). The Authority and Domination of Kyai in Forming Religious Discourse and Practice in Islamic Boarding Schools. Indev: Literasi Media Dakwah dan Pengembangan Masyarakat, 3(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.31958/indev.v3i1.12471
Nawawi, N., & Juandi, W. (2021). Ijtihad Politik Kyai: Pergeseran Otoritas Khr. Ach. Fawaid As’ad Situbondo. Lisan Al-Hal: Jurnal Pengembangan Pemikiran dan Kebudayaan, 15(2), 241–264. https://doi.org/10.35316/lisanalhal.v15i2.1614
Nurfiana, E. (2021). Hegemoni Kekuasaan Melalui Motif Agama dan Sikap Nasionalisme: Analisis Semiotika Roland Barthes Terhadap Film Sang Kyai. Jurnal Dakwah, 22(1), 78–104. https://doi.org/10.14421/JD.22.1.21.3
Pink, S., Horst, H. A., Postill, J., Hjorth, L., Lewis, T., & Tacchi, J. (2016). Digital ethnography: Principles and practice. SAGE. Google
Rahman, F. (2015). Internet and Kyais in Indonesia: Negotiation of Authority in a Mediatized Environment. Online-Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet, 9. https://doi.org/10.11588/REL.2015.0.26252
Rashid, M., Hodgson, C. S., & Luig, T. (2019). Ten tips for conducting focused ethnography in medical education research. Medical Education Online, 24(1), 1624133. https://doi.org/10.1080/10872981.2019.1624133
Retrospective ethnographies. (2020). In M. Sandberg, Challenges and Solutions in Ethnographic Research (1st ed., pp. 117–130). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429355608-8
Salgado, N. S. (2019). On the Question of “Discipline” (Vinaya) and Nuns in Theravāda Buddhism. Religions, 10(2), 98. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10020098
Sari Hernawati, Khoirun Nofik, & Hafizh, M. (2024). The Paradigm of Salaf Pesantren: The Concept of Charismatic Spiritual Leadership of Kyai at Assalafiyah Pesantren. Edukasia Islamika, 9(1), 97–111. https://doi.org/10.28918/jei.v9i1.7276
Schnoor, A. (2019). Transformational Ethics: The Concept of Obedience in Post-Conciliar Jesuit Thinking. Religions, 10(5), 342. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10050342
Setiawan, E. (2016). Pola Relasi Patron Klien Di Pesantren Darul Fikri Malang. Universum, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.30762/universum.v10i1.220
Sofyan, A., Salikin, H., Badrudin, A., Muta’allim, & Wijaya, R. (2023). Kyai and His Family’s Criticism and Praise toward Santri at Pesantren. KARSA Journal of Social and Islamic Culture, 31(2), 350–374. https://doi.org/10.19105/karsa.v31i2.10940
Trundle, C., & Phillips, T. (2023). Defining focused ethnography: Disciplinary boundary-work and the imagined divisions between ‘focused’ and ‘traditional’ ethnography in health research – A critical review. Social Science & Medicine, 332, 116108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116108
Tungal, K. (2014). Retorika “Kebenaran Tungal”: Peran Kyai terhadap Laku Hidup Perempuan Sunda di Pesantren. 29(2). Google
Usman. (2025). Peran Kyai Sebagai Pendidik Dan Pemimpin Dalam Pendidikan Agama Islam di Pondok Pesantren Al-Syaikh Abdul Wahid. AL-MUSTAQBAL: Jurnal Agama Islam, 2(1), 46–55. https://doi.org/10.59841/al-mustaqbal.v2i1.44
Victor, S. (2016). Telling Tales: A Review of C. K. Riessman’s Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences. The Qualitative Report. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2009.2844
Wall, S. (n.d.). Focused Ethnography: A Methodological Adaptation for Social Research in Emerging Contexts. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-16.1.2182
Wasta Utami, N. (2018). Komunikasi Interpersonal Kyai dan Santri dalam Pesantren Modern di Tasikmalaya, Sebuah Pendekatan Interactional View. Jurnal Komunikasi, 12(2), 141–152. https://doi.org/10.20885/komunikasi.vol12.iss2.art4
Yusuf, Moh. A., & Taufiq, A. (2020). The Dynamic Views of Kiais in Response to the Government Regulations for the Development of Pesantren. QIJIS (Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies), 8(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.21043/qijis.v8i1.6716
Zaki, M. Z. S. (2022). Kyai, Pesantren dan Modernitas. Taqorrub: Jurnal Bimbingan Konseling dan Dakwah, 2(1), 30–45. https://doi.org/10.55380/taqorrub.v2i1.209
Zamili, M., & Syamsi, B. (2024). Activities of Kepesantrenan at Sunan Kudus Dormitory No. 07. 3. Google
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Faline Izza Nisa'u, Ravik Karsidi

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.