On Being and Becoming the “Ideal” Muslim Women: Girlhood Narratives of Young “Indonesian Muslims in Pesantren

Abstract

—This research aims to explore how female students of Pondok Pesantren Kebon Jambu Al Islamy, Cirebon, form their identity through their girlhood experiences. Their experiences are analyzed through construction narratives ranging from social and communal to personal narratives. Using the concepts of narrative identity from McAdams and McLean, this research suggests that girlhood narratives differ for each individual student, despite them being in the same educational institution. The research also found that their narratives of girlhood draw heavily from the many prevailing narratives they have encountered in life. In this process, mainly, the pious critical agency offered by the pesantren and actively promoted by its leader seems to play a crucial role in reconstructing their understanding of what being and becoming an “ideal” Muslim woman means.