Heritage as a tool in building civil society in Indonesia: a case study from Jakarta's Old Town site

This thesis examines the disconnect between heritage practices and stakeholders in Indonesia through the case of the unsuccessful 2018 UNESCO World Heritage nomination of Jakarta’s Old Town site. Using this case as an entry point, multiple lines of evidence were gathered to fully document this disconnect and to advocate for heritage to be used as a tool for building civil society in Indonesia. Research questions related to public perception, the mainstream and alternative heritage discourse, comparative sites, and the mobilization of heritage outside of government or academic control were investigated. This thesis draws on multiple sources, including a review of policy and planning documents related to heritage practices in Jakarta, in-depth interviews with public stakeholders, heritage practitioners, and experts, and a comparison case study of the World Heritage inscription process in Melaka and George Town in Malaysia, which were synthesised to address these questions. This thesis exposes the authorised heritage discourse present in Jakarta’s Old Town site and offers new alternatives in interpreting heritage sites through local perspectives. By situating Jakarta’s Old Town site within wider debates on heritage governance, decolonisation, and nation-building, this thesis contributes to heritage studies by demonstrating how local heritage functions in Indonesia. The conclusions argue for: 1) a broader integration of community stakeholders in heritage conservation, 2) government policy supporting decision-making by these groups, and 3) subsequently crafting policy to address the lack of skills, investment, and community co-creation that are critical to support future heritage practices in Indonesia. This thesis offers an empirically grounded framework for understanding the role of heritage in contemporary Indonesia and provides an alternative approach for understanding heritage in Indonesia, foregrounding public perspectives and the social life of heritage as central to future heritage development.