Masyarakat, Kebudayaan dan Politik

Ideology, culture, and national unity under Soekarno’s leadership

2025-08-18T09:41:05+07:00

This article explores President Sukarno’s cultural politics in shaping the ideological framework, mobilizing tradition, and fostering national unity in the early Republic of Indonesia (1945–1965). Sukarno’s articulation of Pancasila went beyond a mere political manifesto by embedding the five principles in cultural performances, state-sponsored rituals, and heritage initiatives. Through major exhibitions, architectural projects, and mass media campaigns, Sukarno mobilized folklore, traditional arts, and popular culture to construct a shared national narrative. Furthermore, the Nasakom doctrine exemplifies his efforts to integrate nationalism, religion, and communism into a cohesive cultural narrative, reducing ideological divisions and formalizing pluralist discourses. Using qualitative research with discourse analysis of speeches, policy decrees, and contemporary media reports—and grounded in Gramscian cultural hegemony theory—this study unpacks the mechanisms of cultural governance under Sukarno. Findings suggest that these cultural strategies played a significant role in consolidating state authority, fostering a sense of collective identity, and leaving a lasting imprint on Indonesian civic culture beyond Sukarno’s presidency. This article contributes to scholarship on postcolonial nation-building by bridging political history and cultural studies, offering new insights into the performative dimensions of early Indonesian statehood.

Vulnerable and neglected: Middle class exclusion in Indonesia’s socio- economic policy dynamics

2025-07-03T11:23:32+07:00

The middle class in Indonesia is increasingly recognized as one of the most vulnerable segments of society in relation to poverty. This study aims to critically examine public policy, focusing specifically on the socioeconomic aspects of the middle class, which systematically create new forms of vulnerability and exclusion. Utilizing a quantitative research design, the study employed a closed-ended questionnaire as its primary data collection instrument, involving a total of 846 respondents. Data analysis was conducted using univariate techniques with SPSS 25. The findings indicate that Indonesia’s middle class is entangled in multidimensional poverty and experiences widespread patterns of social exclusion. This includes not only economic vulnerability but also exclusions related to social structures, public policy, health, environment, technology, and digitalization, as well as cultural identity and other crisis-related domains. The study reveals that the social exclusion of the middle class within Indonesia’s socioeconomic policy frameworks produces structural vulnerabilities that may exacerbate social inequality, restrict economic mobility, and undermine long-term social stability. Although often portrayed as a symbol of national prosperity, the middle class is, in reality, caught in a cycle of vulnerability, marginalization, and neglect by prevailing policy approaches. Consequently, the study calls for developing more inclusive and responsive strategic frameworks and policy models capable of protecting the middle class from the emergence of a precariat condition, the phenomenon of middle class squeeze driven by downward mobility, and the broader transformation toward a dualistic society.

Ethnic inequality and the crisis of governance: Comparative lessons from Nigeria and South Sudan

2025-01-30T04:05:05+07:00

The postcolonial African state has frequently been conceptualised as an artificial construction. Ethnic inequality remains a critical yet underexplored structural determinant of governance failure in multi-ethnic states. This study explores how ethnic inequality contributes to governance crises in ethnically diverse states, focusing on Nigeria and South Sudan. This study was guided by the research question of whether ethnic inequality contributes to governance crises in Nigeria and South Sudan, and what lessons can be drawn for fragile states globally. It employs a qualitative comparative analysis to identify institutionalized and informal ethnic exclusion, revealing that Nigeria’s formal mechanisms for ethnic inclusion are undermined by elite capture and clientelism, leading to governance dysfunction. In contrast, South Sudan’s governance is dominated by informal ethnic militarism, resulting in state collapse. This study contributes new empirical and theoretical insights by linking ethnic inequality directly to the governance breakdown in fragile African states, offering lessons applicable to other divided societies.

The influence of dating apps on sexual behavior among female students: a sociocultural analysis

2025-03-15T06:25:06+07:00

Online dating apps have become a means for some female college students in Yogyakarta to find sexual partners. Apps such as Tinder, Bumble, and Tantan indicate people nearby and have anonymity features that make it easier for users to connect with people, allowing for a freer exploration of sexual identity, thus contributing to the formation of promiscuous sexual behavior among female college students. This study aims to analyze the role of dating apps in shaping promiscuous sexual behavior among female college students in Yogyakarta from a sociocultural perspective. Using a qualitative approach and ethnographic method, this study found that dating apps are used as a means of finding partners to fulfill sexual desires without serious commitment. Factors such as ease of access, anonymity, the flexible social environment, and the influence of popular culture play an important role in reducing the social supervision that previously restricted sexual behavior. The findings suggest that dating apps not only facilitate physical encounters but also create new spaces for female college students to adopt more permissive sexual values. The features of anonymity and ease of access create an open space for the free exploration of sexual identity and the adoption of new values related to sexuality, influenced by popular culture and a flexible social environment.

Diffusion of artificial intelligence across Indonesia: Digital disparities, local contexts, and policy implications

2025-07-18T10:34:50+07:00

Digital literacy across the urban–rural divide in Indonesia plays a significant role in the adoption/implementation of AI. This study attempts to investigate the principal factors behind AI introduction within a descriptive qualitative study and collaborative case study design. The current study is qualitative, using semi-structured interviews with 180 informants conducted in 36 communities from eight key islands during the period of October to December 2024. The findings indicate that rural areas lag behind urban areas in terms of infrastructure, digital literacy readiness and perceived technological complexity, whereas urban areas benefit from the vibrant ecosystems, institutional support as well as accumulation of training programs. Any vision for digital transformation should be joined up and include increased infrastructure investment, investment in community based digital literacy programs as well as development of AI applications that are locally relevant and culturally sensitive. These results elaborate on the Diffusion of Innovations Theory as articulated by Rogers, showing how infrastructural and sociocultural contexts interact in the adoption of technology, while also offering new perspectives for policy and practice in contrasting low and middle-income contexts.

Cultural and aesthetic influences in the formation of Kelantanese Wayang Kulit characters: a visual analysis

2025-09-08T13:29:06+07:00

Kelantan Wayang Kulit is a traditional art form that embodies the cultural, aesthetic, and symbolic values of the local Malay community. As a form of shadow theatre, it merges narrative, music, and visual aspects, serving as a significant channel for expressing cultural and ethical values. This research seeks to examine the impact of culture and aesthetics on the design development of key characters in Kelantan Wayang Kulit like Seri Rama, Siti Dewi, Maharaja Wana, and Pak Dogol. Employing a qualitative method via visual analysis and semi-structured interviews, this research explores design features like shapes, lines, colors, and motifs that represent the social status, moral values, and cultural identity of the Kelantan community. The results indicate that the character designs are shaped by multiple external factors, including Thai culture and Hindu-Buddhist epics, yet they have been adapted according to local values through dialects, natural motifs, and Malay-Islamic aesthetic principles. Characters like Pak Dogol embody the people’s wisdom through straightforward visual representation. This research highlights that Kelantan Wayang Kulit is more than a cultural heritage; it is also a vibrant and significant medium of visual communication. These results are significant in initiatives to protect and value traditional art, as well as to motivate modern visual art inspired by cultural heritage.

Inter actor relations in the veneration of Chinese Sea Goddess Mazu (媽祖, Māzǔ), at Tjoe Tik Kiong (慈德宮, Cí dé gōng) Temple, Pasuruan

2025-09-08T13:45:42+07:00

The Tjoe Tik Kiong Temple (慈德宮, Cídé Gōng) in Pasuruan City hosts veneration ritual activity for the Chinese Sea Goddess, Mazu (媽祖, Māzǔ). This study aims to examine the relationship between the actors behind the performance of the Mazu ritual shapes the dynamics of the change process over time. The paper explores how the actors revitalize each other and re-express their Chinese Indonesian identity in the worship of Mazu. Conducted between September 2022 and December 2024, this ethnographic study focuses on the key participants temple caretakers, local Chinese Indonesian devotees, cultural intermediaries, and younger generations who each play distinct roles in the ritual process. The data collection involved direct observation, interviews, and visual documentation during the fieldwork. The results show that the participants’ roles and relationships in the worship activities greatly influence changes and adaptations in the worship of Mazu. The Chinese Indonesian community’s expression of its identity, as articulated through its veneration of Mazu, serves as a testament to its ability to adapt to the contemporary demands of the present. This phenomenon ultimately contributes to the distinctive characteristics of Chinese communities in Indonesia, which differ from those found in other countries.