Mainstreaming Progressive Law: Toward an Emancipatory Paradigm in Legal Higher Education
Keywords:
Progressive Legal Education; Legal Emancipation; Satjipto Rahardjo; Socio-Legal Methodology; Curriculum ReformAbstract
This paper addresses the deep-rooted crisis in Indonesian legal higher education by proposing the mainstreaming of Progressive Law as an emancipatory response. Current legal education often reinforces a rigid, positivist framework that distances future legal professionals from the lived realities of marginalized communities. Drawing from the intellectual legacy of Satjipto Rahardjo, the paper calls for a paradigm shift: from legal formalism toward a human-centered, socially engaged, and justice-oriented model of learning. The article introduces “turun ke bawah”—a method of direct engagement with vulnerable groups—as a critical
pedagogical approach that bridges theory and praxis. In doing so, it critiques both the Langdellian model and the technocratic orientation of conventional legal instruction, which tends to produce legal technicians rather than legal thinkers. The proposed curriculum reform centers on the institutionalization of a dedicated Progressive Law course that integrates socio-legal methodologies, pluralistic legal traditions, and ethical reflexivity. Ultimately, the paper argues that reforming legal education is not merely a technical or academic endeavor, but a moral imperative to reclaim law as a tool for emancipation, justice, and social transformation in an increasingly complex and plural society.
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