Women from Traditional Islamic Educational Institutions in Indonesia

Until currently there have been no specific publications, particularly in English, on women in traditional Islamic educational institutions in Indonesia, known as pesantren, which played a significant role in shaping the gender issues in the Indonesian Muslim community. This informative and insightful book contributes to two booming fields in Indonesian studies: the study of Islam and the study of Muslim women. It also adds a new perspective to the English-language literature on Muslim women outside the Middle-Eastern or Sub-Indian continent communities context, which used to dominate the scholarly discussion or publication in this field.

“(…) Here Eka Srimulyani gives us an insider’s view of the littleknown contribution of women to Islamic education.” — Susan Blackburn, Monash University |“(…) provides us with a rich history and ethnography of pesantren women. The work is certain to become a classic in the study of Indonesian Islam.” — Robert Hefner, Boston University |“(…) the first [book] to provide a view of the life world of women in the East Javanese pesantren (…) helps us understand why Muslim feminism has found much broader grassroots support in Indonesia than in most other countries.” — Martin van Bruinessen, Utrecht University|"The value of this book lies in the richness of its narratives describing the history and private and public lives of the female leaders of traditional Islamic institutions in East Java that have barely been touched before." -- The Newsletter #64, 2012|"This book is well conceived and written, it is convincing through the in-depth analysis of key interviews. Never before has the Indonesian female santri world been exposed so clearly to the public eye in a scientific work. The reader discovers an unexpected world, more open and more dynamic than imagined."--Archipel 85, 2013

Eka Srimulyani lectures in Sociology at the State Institute for Islamic Studies in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.