Empowering Santripreneurs through Communication: Insights from Three Islamic Boarding Schools in Yogyakarta
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58230/4ysy2c15Keywords:
Santripreneurs, empowerment communication, Islamic boarding schools, entrepreneurshipAbstract
Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) in Indonesia combine religious scholarship with efforts to cultivate Muslim entrepreneurs through santripreneurship programs, yet little is known about how these programs are formed communicatively. This study examines how santripreneurship is shaped through empowerment communication in three pesantren in Yogyakarta: Al Fitroh, Al Munawwir Krapyak, and Sunan Pandanaran. A qualitative multi-site field design was applied over two years of fieldwork. Data were generated through in-depth interviews with pesantren leaders and santri, contextual observation, and institutional materials, and were analyzed through iterative reading, within-case examination, and cross-case comparison. Three interrelated findings emerged. Entrepreneurship is first legitimized through moral and religious narratives; entrepreneurial capacity is then built through participatory everyday routines and organizational discipline; and digital entrepreneurship remains unevenly developed, depending on each pesantren’s communicative infrastructure rather than on access to technology alone. Santripreneurship is therefore best understood as a communicatively constituted institutional practice rather than a fixed program. The findings suggest that pesantren should invest in structured mentoring, participatory task routines, and continuous digital training. The study is limited to three pesantren in one region and to institutional-level patterns, so its findings should not be generalized to all Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia
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