IDEOLOGICAL CONTESTATION IN ISLAMIC EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS: canonical and apocryphal dynamics in Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama schools

This study explores ideological contestation in Islamic educational institutions, focusing on Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama’s schools in Indonesia, with the aim of understanding how competing religious ideologies interact, are negotiated, and shape institutional identity and practice. Using a qualitative approach with case study, data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis across selected schools representing diverse socio-cultural contexts, and analyzed through iterative processes of coding and thematic interpretation. The findings reveal that these institutions are not static sites of ideological transmission but dynamic arenas where external ideological influences enter through informal channels and interact with established beliefs, generating subtle yet persistent tensions. These tensions are expressed through discursive negotiation, variations in practice, and the formation of informal alignments, rather than open conflict. Institutional responses involve reinforcement of core values, selective adaptation, and boundary-making processes that distinguish between canonical ideology, which is legitimized and integrated, and apocryphal ideology, which is perceived as external and contested. This study offers an original contribution by reframing education as a site of ideological contestation and introducing the conceptual distinction between canonical and apocryphal ideology. The study also demonstrates how ideological contestation operates through subtle, non-confrontational processes embedded in everyday educational practices. It provides a new lens for understanding how institutions manage competing beliefs, while suggesting future research on broader contexts, comparative cases, and mixed-methodological approaches.