From Religious Learning Circles to Institutional Diversity: The Historical Development of Pesantren and the Making of Ogan Ilir as a City of Santri

This study examines the historical development of pesantren in Ogan Ilir Regency, South Sumatra, focusing on institutional diversity and the formation of its socio-religious identity as a City of Santri. Using a qualitative-historical approach, the study investigates 22 pesantren through in-depth interviews with 75 informants, participant observation, and document analysis. Historical source criticism and thematic analysis are employed to reconstruct institutional trajectories and identify patterns of institutional differentiation. The findings reveal three historical phases: initial institutionalization (1932–1967), consolidation and diversification (1983–1996), and institutional expansion and integration (2003–2023). Across these phases, three overlapping institutional orientations emerge: scholarly tradition, educational modernization, and self-reliance and community empowerment. These orientations demonstrate that pesantren development involves the coexistence of Islamic scholarly continuity, educational transformation, and expanding social functions rather than a linear transition from traditional to modern institutions. The study interprets these developments through the perspectives of continuity and change, ideal typology, and social construction, highlighting how institutional practices may reproduce socio-religious meanings. It offers an integrated historical and institutional account of pesantren development in Ogan Ilir while recognizing that the extent to which the City of Santri identity is collectively accepted requires further empirical investigation.