Production of Space and Reproduction of Habitus: A Study of Langgar and the Sorogan-Bandongan Method in Madura

Abstract

This study examines the persistence of sorogan and bandongan as traditional Islamic pedagogical methods within langgar (prayer houses) in Madura, employing Henri Lefebvre's theory of the production of space and Pierre Bourdieu's concept of habitus as analytical frameworks. Langgar in Madura are understood not merely as physical spaces, but as socially produced spaces saturated with religious values, power relations, and collective memory. Meanwhile, sorogan and bandongan are analyzed as deeply internalized forms of habitus, referring to practices that have become so firmly embedded within the community’s dispositions that they are perceived as natural and irreplaceable. Using a qualitative-descriptive approach based on literature review and narrative analysis, this study demonstrates that the continuity of these methods is sustained by three interconnected factors: the strong religiosity of Madurese society, the spiritual-social authority of the kiai, and the selective adaptability of tradition to modern contexts. The article concludes that langgar functions as a produced space that continuously reproduces the habitus of sorogan-bandongan, rendering both resilient against the pressures of educational modernization. This tradition represents a form of cultural resistance and an affirmation of Islamic local identity in the archipelago.