Signifikansi, Tujuan, dan Fungsi Studi Agama Multidisipliner, Interdisipliner, dan Transdisipliner: Transformasi Epistemologis dan Praksis dalam Menghadapi Wicked Problems

Abstract

Contemporary phenomena such as the climate crisis, the disruption of artificial intelligence (AI), and digital polarization demand an academic response that transcends traditional scientific barriers. This article analyzes the fundamental paradigm shift in religious studies from a monodisciplinary approach to multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary models amid the complexity of 21st-century global challenges. Through a systematic literature review of Scopus- and Sinta-indexed publications from 2019 to 2025, this study explores the operational functions of the three approaches. The findings show that multidisciplinary approaches function additively to enrich perspectives, interdisciplinary approaches function synthetically to produce new scientific hybridities such as digital religion and neurotheology, while transdisciplinary approaches function transformatively to solve humanitarian problems through collaboration with non-academic actors. The analysis is enriched by a 2026 empirical case on gender equality at UIN Datokarama Palu, demonstrating that transdisciplinary integration must connect Islamic ethical principles, social-construction analysis, institutional regulation, and inclusive organizational practices. This study also highlights the implementation of the integration-interconnection paradigm of Spider Web Theory at Indonesian Islamic higher education institutions as a significant praxis model.