Practicing Multicultural Education through Religiously Affiliated Schools and Its Implications for Social Change

Abstract

Abstract Having varied ethnics, cultures, religions, or faiths, Indonesia is considered a multicultural nation in todays world. This equity can be dangerous; but also can be advantageous if myriad interests of citizens are able to be nurtured through education, including religious schools. The research was conducted to explore multicultural practices in the State-owned Islamic High School (MAN) 3 and the Catholic High School (SMA) Stella Duce 2 in Yogyakarta Indonesia. Data was gathered via qualitative method by means of comparative study, aiming at seeking similarities and differences on promoting multicultural education values. Findings show similarities of teachers attitudes and characteristics as facilitator, accommodator, or assimilator whereas the differences include their leadership role in intrareligious dialog at MAN 3 and dialog leaders at SMA Stella Duce 2. Other issues include diverse understandings of religion and its perceived violence. The research formulates two categories of teacher as being multicultural-intrareligious pluralist and multicultural-intrareligious humanist. It also discusses implications on social change as a result of cultural interchange at those schools. Keywords: Multiculturalism, Education, Madrasah, Boarding, Social Change Abstrak Memiliki variasi etnik, budaya, agama, atau kepercayaan, Indonesia kini dianggap sebagai negara multikultural. Kekayaan ini dapat menjadi bahaya; tetapi juga menjadi keuntungan bilamana perbedaan kepentingan dan kecenderungan ini dapat dipelihara melalui sekolah, termasuk yang bernafaskan agama. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menggali praktek multikultur di MAN 3 dan SMA Stella Duce 2 Yogyakarta Indonesia. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui metode kualitatif dengan cara perbandingan, bertujuan mencari kesamaan dan perbedaan dalam rangka promosi nilai-nilai pendidikan multikultural. Temuan menunjukkan kesamaan sikap dan karakteristik para guru berperan sebagai fasilitator, akomodator, atau asimilator sementara perbedaan mencakup peran mereka sebagai pemandu dialog seagama khususnya di MAN 3 dan pemandu dialog antaragama di SMA Stella Duce 2. Isu-isu lain termasuk beragam pemahaman tentang agama dan agama dipersepsikan sumber kekerasan. Penelitian ini menandai dua kategori guru sebagai pluralis multikultur-seagama dan humanis multikultur-antaragama. Penelitian ini juga mendiskusikan implikasi bagi perubahan sosial sebagai akibat dari pertukaran budaya yang terjadi di kedua sekolah tersebut. Kata Kunci: Multikulturalisme, Pendidikan, Madrasah, Asrama, Perubahan Sosial