The Consolidation of Local Wisdom Based on Aculturation in
Building Transnational Civil Society
Maryanto Maryanto and Nor Khoiriyah
University of PGRI Semarang, Semarang Indonesia
Keywords: Local Wisdom, Acculturation, Transnational Society.
Abstract: The era of globalization has created a new society pattern for the Indonesian. This is marked by changes in
the values and culture of society that lead to the concept of modernization. If this is not supported by the
right strategy then the local wisdom of the Indonesian nation will experience extinction that is replaced by
social modernization. The strategy that can be done one of them through the consolidation of local wisdom
based acculturation, meaning that this strategy is built by strengthening local wisdom that leads to global
changes by not leaving the original properties. This change is done to build a transnational civil society that
is a new way of understanding to the community about the relationship between cultures of a nation. The
study of this article used qualitative descriptive approach with literature review method. The data were
obtained from books, journals, and other scientific articles collected through documentation and discourse
identification techniques. The technique of data analysis used the construct analysis (the content). The result
of the discussion indicated that the consolidation of local wisdom based on acculturation becomes the
concept of a new strategy in building transnational civil society. Thus this strategy as a recommendation
revitalization of local wisdom in building an Indonesian society that is able to compete globally and
competitively with other countries.
1 INTRODUCTION
Local wisdom is a view of the local community that
has good value and followed by the community as a
system of hereditary beliefs, explicitly local wisdom
emerges through the process of revolution between
the community and its natural environment
naturally. Sedyawati (2006) defines local wisdom as
a pattern of actions and material cultural results that
are widely outlined in all cultural heritages, whether
tangible or intangible. Based on this, Nasiwan
(2012) defines local wisdom as the discretion or
noble values contained in the local cultural treasures.
Indonesia as a country that has a variety of ethnic,
cultural, racial, linguistic, religious so as to create a
multicultural and plural society. It will bring up
different local wisdom in every region of Indonesia.
This distinction is based on ethics, values, and
norms that are united in people's lives. Based on the
diversity of the local wisdom of the Indonesian will
be the one of the potential of the nation to be
developed.
Indonesia as a country with abundant natural
potential with highly complex cultural diversity
should have been able to become a developed
country and able to compete with other countries.
But in fact it is not yet actualized towards developed
countries dignified. In addition to human resources
is still low one of the causes is globalization. The
influence of globalization has an impact on the
pattern of community life of the values of local
wisdom to be eroded and over time will be lost so
that the identity of the Indonesian nation will be
replaced with the pattern of life of modern society.
During the transition period of changing the pattern
of people's lives in the global era there will be
adjustments, developments, and changes to the
development of the era. Singsomboon (2014) states
that the local wisdom of a nation will also
experience a new development or change, either
through the process of assimilation or acculturation.
If this change is based on the assimilation process,
then the values that have been inherited from the
ancestors as local wisdom inherent in the life of the
community will be left by the society. However, if it
is based on the acculturation process, then the
altered changes retain the existing values.
Maryanto, M. and Khoiriyah, N.
The Consolidation of Local Wisdom Based on Aculturation in Building Transnational Civil Society.
In Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities (ANCOSH 2018) - Revitalization of Local Wisdom in Global and Competitive Era, pages 445-449
ISBN: 978-989-758-343-8
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
445

As an effort to maintain and preserve local
wisdom possessed by the Indonesian nation as a
nation that has dignity dynamically the changes that
occur based on the concept or process of
acculturation. The acculturation is the process of
entry of foreign culture that gave birth to a new
culture without the original death. This acculturation
process can be actualized in people's life, one of
them is caused by globalization. The phenomenon of
globalization in addition will give a positive impact
also gives a negative impact. The positive impact of
globalization on local wisdom is the birth of a new
culture dynamically that can compete with other
nations. The negative impact will threaten the
existence of local wisdom as the identity of the
nation.
Based on this phenomenon is needed a new
strategy to maintain local wisdom in the global era.
One of them is consolidation of local wisdom-based
acculturation. This strategy becomes a step for the
Indonesian nation to awaken to the community about
the importance of local wisdom values that grow and
develop in people's lives. This consolidation as a
tool of strengthening to the people of Indonesia will
be the values of local wisdom that must be upheld
and maintained in various life communities. This
can be done through rehumanize, namely the return
of human dignity in the era of globalization through
the ability to adapt to the environment to the global
community that is able to compete with other
nations adhering to the noble values of as the
nation's identity. The expectation through this
strategy will produce the competitive Indonesian
society in the global or known as transnational civil
society.
2 METHODS
The article used descriptive qualitative method with
literature review study, that is the study of concepts
based on the theoretical approaches from various
reference books, journals, research results, and other
scientific articles as a source of data in finding a
concept study related to the consolidation of local
knowledge based on acculturation building a
transnational civil society (Sugiyono, 2012). The
data collection used reference documentation and
discourse identification. The technique of data
analysis used the construct analysis (content) by
organizing and categorizing data to find conclusions
from the assessment results.
3 DISCUSSION
3.1 The Principles of Local Wisdom
and Transnational Civil Society
The result of the discussion of the concept of “the
consolidation of local wisdom based on
acculturation in building transnational civil society”
is based on two studies, that is, local wisdom and
transnational civil communities. First, local wisdom
is concept at first introduced by Quaritch Wales in
terms of local genius. And so, overall here, the
anthropologists interpret this term as cultural
identity. But along with the development, known by
the term local wisdom, the culture of local
communities that inherited from generation to
generation. According to Berkes (1993) local
wisdom is a collection of knowledge and beliefs that
develop through the adaptive process of generations
that relate to human relationships with the
surrounding environment. The same thing was
presented by Antariksa (2009) that local wisdom as
a cultural tradition that developed based on
knowledge and environment from generation to
generation as the cultural heritage of society. This
local wisdom emerges as a manifestation of the
cultural values of society. Based on these two
opinions, the local wisdom contains two elements,
that is, human and the environment.
An environment is seen as something
inseparable from human life, both of which are
closely related and complementary in shaping the
concept of local wisdom. As pointed Dahliani
(2015) that the relationship between humans and the
environment is mediated by culture, meaning
through culture, people learn to adapt to the
environmental conditions in order to survive. Rajab
Kat provides a definition of local wisdom as a way
of life of the community and life strategy in the form
of activities undertaken by local communities in
meeting all the needs of his life. This view is based
on cultural values that are believed to be true as a
guide in behaving in people's lives. Based on the
opinion of some experts above can be concluded that
local wisdom is a collection of knowledge and
beliefs of society to the environment containing truth
values as a reference in behaving in meeting the
needs of life.
The second study is transnational civil society,
the term transnational began to be known in the 20th
Century as a result of the impact of globalization in
providing a new understanding of intercultural
relationships. This transnational concept became a
social movement that grew up because of the
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increasing interconnectivity between people across
the surface of the earth and the waning of national
boundaries. Friedman (2005) identifies that
globalization which is the main driver of the
transnational movement is a 21st Century world
system that focuses on the integration of a world that
knows no bulkhead at all. It will create a demand for
every nation to establish relationships with other
nations including Indonesia. Saxenian (1999) argues
that indirectly the Indonesian people today have
become part of the transnational civil society in the
global era, it is no less important that should be
developed in establishing and maintaining
international relations (Coe and Bunnel, 2003). In
this study is the transnational community is a group
of community members who have been able to
perform its role as a global community.
3.2 Values of Local Indonesian
Wisdom
In Law No. 32 of 2009 on Environmental Protection
and Management, states that local wisdom is the
noble values that apply in the life of the community
to protect and manage the environment in a
sustainable way. Koentjaraningrat (1990) has
described the form of local wisdom explicitly: (1)
the notion, ideas, values, norms, and regulations; (2)
behavior patterns, complex activities; (3) artifacts,
cultures, materials, and cultural products. Those are
excavated from values that rely on the beliefs of
society to the truth which then manifested in the
form of culture. The relationship between local
wisdom and globalization is closely related, as noted
Yunus (2014) local wisdom is a culture owned by
certain communities and in certain places that are
considered able to survive in the face of
globalization, because local wisdom contains values
that can be used as a means of building the character
of the nation. In the era of globalization that
increasingly open information and communication,
if not addressed properly, it will produce in loss of
identity and national identity. Indonesian identity is
reflected from the culture of every region that united
into one unity with one basic identity which is called
Pancasila. The values of this local wisdom become
the embodiment of the Indonesian national identity.
The values of local wisdom of the Indonesian
nation vary greatly in the region, Fajarini (2014)
identifies some local wisdom in Indonesia, among
others: (1) Malay (Deli, West Kalimantan, Sibolga,
West Sumatra), the value of local wisdom the other
is the other part of the fish where the earth is
trampled there; (2) Batak: Hasangapon, bagabeon,
bamoraon, sarimatua (authority, wealth, scattered
descendants, perfection of life), nilakka tu jolo
sarihon tu pudi (step forward consider to backward);
(3) Bugis: sipakatau (remind each other),
sipakalebbi (mutual respect), mali siparappe, rebab
sipatokkong (remind, respect each other, promote
each other); (4) Dayak Kanayatri: adil ka’talimo,
bacuramin ka’saruga, ba sengat ka’jubata (fair
fellow, mirrored heavenly, dependent on the one),
rumah betang (together and mutually graceful),
handep babaring burung (togetherness and
cooperative), rumah betang (the spirit of the long
house); (5) Dayak Bekati: janji baba's ando
(promise must be kept), janji pua’ take japu (don’t
promise only say the words); (6) Dayak Bahau:
murip ngenai (prosperous prosperity), te'ang lira
(superior among peers: healthy competition); (7)
Sampang (Madura): ombak asapo’ angina
(cushioned ambal, covered with wind), lakona-
lakone, kennengga kennengge (do well what is your
job and place well also what has been established as
your place), todus (embarrassment), ango’an poteo
tolong, e tebang potea mata (better white bones than
on white eyes).
3.3 Local Wisdom as Global
Competitiveness Capital
Local wisdom formed by customs and traditions of
society is a cultural product. The values that serve as
the guidance of local wisdom in society have long
evolved in society and the environment and have
undergone several changes from generation to
generation (Hasbullah, 2012). This cultural product
becomes an asset of the nation that must be
developed by following the existing developments
but retaining the original. In order to compete in the
global market must not abandon local wisdom as
identity-formers, instead it should instead be able to
develop local advantages as capital to compete with
other nations.
The President of Republic Indonesia in the
opening ceremony of IDBYTE 2017 held on
September 28, 2017 argued that countries capable of
generating innovations by utilizing local wisdom
will have high competitiveness, so that local
business players must be able to develop superior
products derived from the characteristics typical
local. The cultural diversity, language, and art can
serve as a basic value to global community
competition. The local wisdom will demand a
sustainable and forward-looking work ethic and
support social and natural balance. The values of
local wisdom passed down from generation to
The Consolidation of Local Wisdom Based on Aculturation in Building Transnational Civil Society
447

generation such as cooperation, mutual cooperation,
mutual respect, respect, and courtesy should be used
as a basis to move forward so that the existence of
the nation is maintained. With the development of
technology, people must have a local genius attitude
and be able to filter foreign culture that goes to
Indonesia. It is done naturally as a strategy in the
face of a new culture that leads to cultural
acculturation.
3.4 Local Wisdom as a Potential for
Building Transnational
Communities
Cultural diversity and local values are the wealth of
the Indonesian nation that must be developed and
conserved, given the values contained in it is part of
the social potential in shaping the characteristics of
society based on the image of regional culture that
leads to the formation of national identity. As Geertz
(1992) argues that local wisdom is an entity in
determining human dignity in the community,
indirectly this local wisdom becomes the
competitiveness of a nation, it is based on the
statement that the potential regional cultural element
leads to the formation of local genius because has
tested its ability to survive to date (Ayatrohaedi,
1986).
Local diversity is extracted from the intellectual
property and culture of society which must be
upgraded in accordance with dynamism towards
modern life to the life of the global community.
With the development of a very strong and rapid
globalization will affect the decline of national
identity. Thus the strengthening of local values as
the formation of the cultural character of society
needs to be transformed in all aspects of life in order
to be able to compete in the international sphere that
leads to transnational society.
In line with explained above that transnational
societies are indispensable in this era of
globalization, Mubah (2011) describes several
strategies for dealing with globalization as an effort
to shape transnational civil societies, among others
(1) the development of national identity, through the
establishment of values local wisdom to the younger
generation by providing an understanding that these
values can be synergized with universal and modern
values, not just abandoned; (2) understanding of
cultural philosophy; (3) publish of regional
regulation; (4) utilization of information technology.
These four strategies are accomplished in an
integrated manner in the family, school, and
community.
In essence the Indonesian has had various
potentials of local wisdom that serve as
competitiveness with other nations. To achieve
balance, this is not only local potential but human
resources have also led to a society that is capable of
competitiveness. Based on the results of research
conducted by Suwardani (2015) on the Balinese
society shows that the local cultural system that has
been a reference in the formation of the character of
the Balinese society slowly experienced a shift in
modernization, so the process of formation of these
new values began to emerge, but in fact this change
has no major effect on the long-established cultural
origin. This phenomenon is called by the process of
acculturation.
Bagus (1995) asserted that although the Balinese
have experienced a shift in value, but not so
meaningful, this is because the people of Bali are
still collective figured, communal, and ritualistic.
The distinctiveness of this local culture, that is,
becomes the attraction of other nations coming to
Indonesia. So that makes Indonesia as a country and
a nation of interest to the world community, both as
a place to invest and as a tourist destination. Thus
the people of Indonesia are considered capable of
competing to become an independent country.
4 CONCLUSIONS
The consolidation of local wisdom is an effort to
strengthen the values of local wisdom to the
community that leads to the acculturation of culture,
that is, the merger of two cultures into a new culture
but still preserve original. The strengthening strategy
is perceived to be able to maintain the existence of
local wisdom as a global competitiveness. The
developed cultural product leads to the formation of
transnational civil societies, a society that has the
ability to portray itself as a global society.
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