MAKNA CADAR (NIQAB) BAGI PEREMPUAN MUSLIM DI LINGKUNGAN KAMPUS: INTEGRASI FENOMENOLOGI ALFRED SCHUTZ DAN INTERAKSIONISME SIMBOLIK HERBERT BLUMER TENTANG PERSEPSI DIRI DAN RESPON SOSIAL

Abstrak

Penggunaan cadar (niqab) di lingkungan kampus keagamaan Islam senantiasa menghadirkan ruang negosiasi simbolik antara dorongan spiritualitas pribadi dan pembacaan sosial oleh civitas akademika. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengurai secara komprehensif bagaimana mahasiswi berniqab di Universitas Islam Malang (UNISMA) mengonstruksi persepsi diri serta bagaimana dinamika respon sosial terbentuk dalam ruang akademis, termasuk bagaimana mahasiswi non-niqab mempersepsikan keberadaan rekan mereka yang bercadar. Dengan mengintegrasikan teori Fenomenologi Alfred Schutz dan Interaksionisme Simbolik Herbert Blumer, penelitian kualitatif ini mengeksplorasi pengalaman terhayati (lived experience), motif sebab (because-motive), motif tujuan (in-order-to motive), serta proses interaksi simbolik melalui self-indication dan role-taking. Data dihimpun melalui wawancara mendalam terhadap 20 mahasiswi yang terdiri dari 12 mahasiswi berniqab dan 8 mahasiswi non-niqab dari berbagai program studi di UNISMA, serta observasi partisipatif di area kampus. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: (1) Konstruksi Persepsi Diri mahasiswi berniqab dipengaruhi oleh because-motive berupa pengalaman spiritual pencarian jati diri ("hijrah") dan refleksi atas kenyamanan fisik di ruang publik, serta in-order-to motive sebagai mekanisme kontrol diri moral (self-control) dan perlindungan dari pandangan yang tidak diinginkan; (2) Respon Sosial mahasiswi non-niqab terhadap pengguna cadar di UNISMA cenderung akseptatif dan menghargai pilihan personal, meskipun masih ditemukan stereotip awal seperti anggapan eksklusif atau sulit diajak berkomunikasi; (3) Melalui proses self-indication dan role-taking, mahasiswi berniqab secara aktif memodifikasi tindakan sosial mereka dengan tampil lebih ramah, proaktif, dan komunikatif di kelas maupun organisasi, sementara mahasiswi non-niqab belajar menyesuaikan pola komunikasi dengan membaca simbol-simbol non-verbal alternatif seperti binar mata, intonasi suara, dan gestur tubuh. Penyesuaian simbolik timbal balik ini melahirkan joint action berupa tatanan interaksi sosial kampus yang harmonis, inklusif, dan saling menghargai.

The use of the veil (niqab) in Islamic higher education settings always creates a symbolic space of negotiation between personal spiritual motivation and social interpretation by the academic community. This study aims to comprehensively examine how female students wearing the niqab at Universitas Islam Malang (UNISMA) construct their self-perception and how social responses emerge within the academic environment, including how non-niqab female students perceive their veiled peers. By integrating Alfred Schutz's Phenomenology and Herbert Blumer's Symbolic Interactionism, this qualitative study explores lived experience, because-motive, in-order-to motive, and symbolic interaction processes through self-indication and role-taking. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 20 female students consisting of 12 niqab-wearing and 8 non-niqab students from various study programs at UNISMA, as well as participatory observation on campus. The findings show that: (1) self-perception construction of niqab-wearing students is influenced by because-motive in the form of spiritual experiences of identity seeking ("hijrah") and reflections on physical comfort in public spaces, as well as in-order-to motive as a mechanism of moral self-control and protection from unwanted gazes; (2) social responses from non-niqab students toward niqab wearers at UNISMA tend to be accepting and respectful of personal choices, although initial stereotypes such as assumptions of exclusivity or communication difficulties still emerge; (3) through self-indication and role-taking, niqab-wearing students actively modify their social actions by appearing friendlier, more proactive, and more communicative in both classroom and organizational settings, while non-niqab students learn to adjust their communication patterns by reading alternative non-verbal symbols such as eye expressions, tone of voice, and body gestures. This mutual symbolic adjustment gives rise to joint action in the form of a harmonious, inclusive, and mutually respectful campus social order.