Living Turath in the Decolonial Turn: Reconfiguring Islamic Legal Knowledge in Contemporary Indonesia

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Published: 2026-10-29 Pages: 112–136 DOI: 10.66277/cfs.v1i2.475
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Abstract

This article examines the contemporary reconfiguration of Islamic legal knowledge in Indonesia as a form of decolonial engagement with turath (the discursive tradition of Islamic knowledge), conceptualized as a living discursive tradition. Employing qualitative discourse analysis of five prominent Indonesian academic journals specializing in Islamic law, the study conceptualizes these publications as sites of epistemic contestation, negotiation, and renewal, wherein inherited legal traditions are critically reinterpreted. Through a systematic analysis of argumentative structures, thematic focuses, and methodological approaches, the findings indicate a pronounced shift toward interpreting turath as a dynamic and dialogical tradition capable of addressing contemporary issues such as human rights, gender justice, legal pluralism, constitutional governance, and interdisciplinary legal scholarship. Rather than preserving tradition as a static intellectual legacy, the journals reconstruct it as an adaptive framework for contemporary knowledge production. The article contributes to the expanding field of decolonial epistemology by demonstrating how scholarly discourse in the Global South reconfigures Islamic legal knowledge, challenges hegemonic binaries between tradition and modernity, and advances intellectually approaches to contemporary Islamic legal thought.

Keywords

turath decoloniality Islamic legal discourse knowledge production Indonesian journals

Copyright

Copyright Holder: Abdelmalek Aouich, Muhammad Fauzinudin Faiz

Copyright Year: 2026

License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

References

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How to Cite

Living Turath in the Decolonial Turn: Reconfiguring Islamic Legal Knowledge in Contemporary Indonesia. (2026). Contemporary Fiqh Studies, 1(2), 112–136. https://doi.org/10.66277/cfs.v1i2.475