Cultural Adaptation of Indigenous Peoples of the Nusantara: An Overview of Development-Tourism Resistance

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-513-3_16How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Indigenous Peoples; Cultural Adaptation; Cultural Resistance; Hybridity; Development and Tourism

Abstract

This research discusses the dynamics of cultural adaptation of indigenous peoples of the archipelago in the context of development and tourism which is increasingly strengthening in the era of globalization. Indigenous peoples are often placed as objects of development, but the reality on the ground shows that they have a strong cultural agency in negotiating their identities, values, and social systems. The purpose of this research is to analyze how indigenous peoples adapt to the pressures of modernity while maintaining traditional values through cultural resistance strategies. The research approach used is qualitative interpretive with a multi-location case study design in several indigenous communities in Indonesia. Data was obtained through in-depth interviews, participatory observations, and the review of customary-based development policy documents. The analysis was carried out thematically using an interpretive-discursive model to interpret the social meaning behind the cultural adaptation and resistance practices of indigenous peoples. The results of the study show that indigenous peoples develop various forms of integrative adaptation strategies, such as incorporating indigenous values into tourism activities, managing a community-based economy, and utilizing digital technology to strengthen cultural identity. In addition, passive, symbolic, and collective forms of resistance were also found as a mechanism to maintain the sovereignty of sacred space and rights to customary lands. The phenomenon of cultural hybridity is an important marker of the emergence of a combination of tradition and modernity that gives birth to a new identity negotiation space. However, indigenous peoples still face a number of challenges and contradictions, such as cultural commercialization, intergenerational conflicts over modernization, and limitations of participatory policies in customary-based development. This study concludes that the adaptation and resistance of indigenous peoples is a form of cultural decolonization that affirms their position as active actors in development, not just victims of modernity. Theoretically, this study expands the understanding of the relationship between hybridity, cultural agency, and development within the framework of postcolonial and decolonial paradigms. The practical implications emphasize the importance of a multi-river, participatory, and cultural justice-based development policy, so that socio-ecological sustainability can be realized without sacrificing the values of local wisdom.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Andhika Yudha Pratama
AU  - Dini Putri Ratna Meritasari
AU  - Arlianto
AU  - Ade Rio Pratama
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/23
TI  - Cultural Adaptation of Indigenous Peoples of the Nusantara: An Overview of Development-Tourism Resistance
BT  - Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Humanities and Social Science (ICHSS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 165
EP  - 179
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-513-3_16
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-513-3_16
ID  - Pratama2025
ER  -