Gender equality perspective shifting of Islamic students: From boarding school to university

Gender equality is a significant concern within Islamic education, particularly as students from pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) adjust to the more pluralistic and open atmosphere of universities.This qualitative study investigates how five former female pesantren students, now enrolled in English Literature programs at two universities in Surabaya, Indonesia, reshaped their perspectives on gender.Through interviews and thematic analysis, the research traces a gradual movement from accepting hierarchical traditions toward a critical integration of Islamic values with principles of substantive equality.Academic materials proved instrumental in this transformation, encouraging three processes: challenging patriarchal norms, negotiating cultural hybridity, and reinterpreting religious texts through the lens of maqashid al-sharia.The participants responded with three strategiesreinterpretation within tradition, separating spiritual from social domains, and hybrid practices developed through discourse communities.The study introduces a "complementary equality" framework based on the tawhidic view of equal human dignity, rejecting both rigid traditionalism and Western notions of absolute equality.It further develops Mezirow's perspective transformation theory by incorporating Bhabha's concept of "thirdspace epistemology" into the Indonesian educational context, highlighting literature's role as a bridge for interpretation.Practical contributions include designing literature curricula with bridging texts, training lecturers in contextual analysis, and offering a reform model for pesantren that integrates gender discourse grounded in maqashid.Major limitations include the exclusive focus on female participants and the geographical scope of Surabaya, which leaves open questions about the dynamics of male students' responses.