Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The implementation of the Dutch Ethical Policy, particularly in the field of education, marked a turning point in the cultural development of the Indonesian archipelago. It fostered the rise of a new intellectual class driven by aspirations for reform and emancipation, who articulated their ideas through socio-religious and educational organizations. This study investigates the intellectual polarization among Gayo Muslims that emerged in the wake of this policy. It addresses two core inquiries: the causes behind the polarization and its subsequent dynamics. Adopting a historical method with a socio-cultural approach, the research finds that the Dutch educational system significantly influenced this intellectual divide. Initially resisted by traditionalist circles who perceived it as a deviation from Islamic orthodoxy the Western model of education gradually produced a cohort of critical thinkers. These individuals began to challenge established religious rituals, labeling them as inconsistent with the essence of Islam. As a result, Gayo Muslim intellectuals became ideologically fragmented into two primary camps: the traditionalist group (Kaom Tue) and the modernist or reformist group (Kaom Mude).
Author: Zikri Iwan Sempena
Institution: Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University Yogyakarta
Language: English
Topic: Asian Studies and History
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4415172344
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