Pesantren have endured as an age-old educational institution that continuously evolves through the gears of time. Their lengthy journey has seen them coexist with every conceivable human problem across eras. This difficult adaptation process has led some pesantren to fall, while many others have persevered. Therefore, they offer a wealth of knowledge for us to explore and study, whether old or new, providing ample information to develop into formal knowledge.
As a subculture, pesantren carry cultural values that intermingle with cultures outside the schools. The thin boundary between them enables pesantren’s cultural values to thrive within the broader society. Similarly, pesantren absorb many societal aspects as benchmarks for grounding Islamic values, ensuring they are embraced and accepted by the community.
The reciprocal relationship between the two, tightly intertwined, gives rise to unique cultural characteristics compared to others. Take, for example, the oral traditions of pesantren. Although there’s no clear definition of these traditions, let’s start discussing the potential phenomena that could arise from them.