From Ritual to Global Market: Sustainable Cultural Commodification in Indigenous Madurese of Sumenep Indonesia

¹ Postgraduate School, State University of Surabaya, Indonesia
² Department of Business Administration, School of Management, National Central University, Taiwan
³ State University of Surabaya, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: dewisadiyah@unesa.ac.id

Abstract

The native art forms of Sumenep, Madura-ranging from weaving to craft offer profound ritual symbolism. However,in today’s globalised world and the context of SDG 8– promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth – there is a growing marketisation of these cultural riches for worldwide consumption. This research is one of few to analyse the impacts of commodification on the economic prospects and authenticity perceptions of craftspeople in a quantitative manner. 100 weavers and craftspersons were interviewed using structured interview schedule by purposive sampling. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression were used for analysis. Results show that the extent of world market demand, and production scale contribute to increasing household income from craft making (p <0.01), while intensive design adaptation for international marketing has negative impact on perception of cultural preservation (p<0.05). And though 72% of those surveyed said their income was on the rise, 65% fretted about the dumbing down of traditional motifs and symbolism. These findings demonstrate a tension between economic gain and cultural preservation. It calls for ethical commodification approaches that not only bring body-politics of artisans, but secured & fair trade and heritage preservation at SDG8 espoused really sustainable development.