Multiculturalism of Past Nusantara Civilizations: Local Initiatives in Building a Multicultural Archipelago Civilization

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the dynamics of the multiculturality of the archipelago civilization, which is conceived as a hybrid civilization and has an endogenous (non-exogenous) dimension, by focusing on material cultural objects as an observation locus. This research employs an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the problem, drawing from fields such as archaeology, philology, art anthropology, political sociology, and legal anthropology. With this interdisciplinary approach, the qualitative paradigm is combined with four interactive steps, namely collection, data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing. Data was collected through observation of relics in the form of manuscripts, inscriptions, and other artifacts that are remnants of the Paser and Kutai Kartanegara Sultanates, as well as interviews with resource persons at both locations. The novelty of this study is the testing of an interdisciplinary approach related to the multiculturality of the archipelago's civilization in the past, so that strengthening the national identity of the archipelago as a capital to actively participate in world peace has a strong empirical basis.