Decolonizing Islamic Studies: Rethinking Epistemology, Methodology, and Praxis in the Global South

Abstract

The study of Islam in Western academia remains entangled with the intellectual legacy of Orientalism, which constructs the Muslim world as an object of analysis rather than a producer of knowledge. Although postcolonial theory has attempted to critique this bias, it often reproduces Eurocentric assumptions. This paper analyzes the epistemological and methodological foundations of decolonial Islamic studies and highlights Indonesia’s contribution through the intellectual legacy of the ulama Nusantara and the pesantren tradition as a model of indigenous epistemic resistance. Using a normative-qualitative approach, this research critically examines primary and secondary literature related to Orientalism, decolonial theory, and the development of Islamic scholarship in Indonesia. Comparative analysis is applied to evaluate the intellectual works of Shaykh Nawawi al-Bantani and Shaykh Muhammad Arsyad al-Banjari within a decolonial framework. The study reveals that Indonesian Islamic scholarship embodies epistemic hybridity that challenges the hierarchy of Western knowledge systems. The pesantren model demonstrates a transformative pedagogy integrating spirituality, critical awareness, and social responsibility. Decolonizing Islamic Studies is not merely a critique of Western epistemology but an active process of reclaiming Islamic intellectual autonomy. The Indonesian experience provides a sustainable paradigm for reconstructing Islamic scholarship through inclusive, dialogical, and locally grounded approaches that contribute to global knowledge pluralism.