THE ROLE OF NYAI IN ACTUALIZING AN ECO-PESANTREN: A STUDY OF WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP AT THE ASY-SYARIFIY ISLAMIC ECO-BOARDING SCHOOL LUMAJANG EAST JAVA INDONESIA

Abstract

Nyai is one of the central figures in the Islamic boarding school. Nyai is not only the wife of the Kiai but also the leader of spiritual activities and the whole life of the Islamic boarding school. Unfortunately, women's leadership is still always connoted as a negative thing. This is because there are still many extremists of patriarchal culture and gender-biased religious understandings that continue to be rooted in underestimating women. So that the concept of pure and broad leadership is tarnished by the understanding of women's leadership in a very narrow context. Moreover, the leadership within the scope of the Islamic educational institution is usually under the authority of a Kiai. This study highlights how a Nyai at the Asy-Syarifiy Islamic Eco-Boarding School has the power to manage all the ins and outs of Islamic boarding schools, especially her skills in realizing an ecological friendly Islamic boarding school, and how Nyai can make it an eco excellence boarding school in Lumajang district. A qualitative method with a feminist biographical and ethnographic approach is used in this article. This study shows, first, Nyai in Asy-Syarifiy has a democratic, transformative, and charismatic leadership style. Second, She applies special strategies regarding environmental management, cleanliness, and even the architecture of Islamic boarding schools.