ABSTRACT This study examines how Arabic language teachers in Indonesian madrasahs negotiate transnational Islamic authority and epistemic dependency within curriculum practices. Drawing on qualitative interviews, the research explores how global centres of Islamic knowledge—particularly Middle Eastern institutions, textbooks and linguistic norms—shape local understandings of legitimacy, authenticity and pedagogical authority. Rather than indicating structural domination, the findings show that epistemic dependency operates primarily as symbolic and referential alignment with perceived centres of authority. Teachers retain curricular autonomy and actively mediate these influences through contextual adaptation, aligning instruction with Indonesian cultural values, national educational frameworks and local religious traditions. These practices demonstrate negotiated forms of authority in which transnational standards function as reference points rather than mechanisms of control. The study contributes to discussions of language, curriculum and epistemic hierarchy in Global South contexts by highlighting how authority is symbolically structured yet locally mediated in practice.