CASEH PUBLICATION

TITLE: PROSIDING SIMPOSIUM CROSS-CULTURAL HERITAGE INDONESIA- MALAYSIA 2025 MEMARTABATKAN SILANG SILANG IDENTITI BUDAYA ETNIK

PUBLICATION: Centre of Conservation for Sustainable Ethnic Heritage (CASEH)

eISBN : 978-629-94893-0-6

CATALOGUING RECORD : Malaysia National Library (PNM)

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2026

BOOK SYNOPSIS: 

This publication brings together nine papers presented at the Indonesia–Malaysia Cross Cultural Heritage Symposium held on 5 and 6 May 2025, organised by Universitas Nusantara PGRI Kediri in collaboration with partners from Malaysia. The symposium focused on Javanese ethnic heritage in Indonesia and Malaysia, with particular attention to tangible and intangible heritage as well as the process of cultural assimilation within local contexts. Collectively, the papers provide a broad overview of the diverse contributions of Javanese culture that continue to shape the lives of communities in both countries.

The first paper discusses cosmological and aesthetic values in ancient Javanese residential architecture in the Kediri Raya region, which are rooted in philosophy, spirituality, and cultural symbolism. The design of these houses is not merely functional, but also reflects cosmic order, proportion, symmetry, and material aesthetics imbued with mythological and belief-based meanings. This understanding is important as a reference for space planning based on local wisdom and sustainable development. The second paper examines the role of the Jawi and Pegon scripts not merely as writing systems, but as instruments of identity, cultural negotiation, and intellectual expression in the Malay–Indonesian world, thereby enriching the understanding of the Islamisation process in Southeast Asia.

The third paper explores a semiotic analysis of the landscape of traditional Javanese houses in Kediri by interpreting space, materials, plants, and orientation as a system of cultural signs that reflect cosmology, social structure, and spiritual ethics. This is followed by the fourth paper, which discusses the alun-alun (town square) as a public space rich in Kejawen symbolic values and proposes the integration of local values as a foundation for more meaningful and sustainable urban planning.

The fifth paper examines the Javanese diaspora in Malaysia, which has constructed narratives of brotherhood with the Malay community through shared history and experiences, thereby shaping an inclusive Nusantara identity. The sixth paper focuses on the role of the Javanese community in the development of Islam and mosque architecture based on the philosophy of Manunggaling Kawula Gusti, while also emphasising the need for heritage conservation grounded in community participation.

The seventh and eighth papers explain how Kejawen values are assimilated into traditional architecture and the formation of the identity of the city of Kediri through the interaction of natural, political, and technological factors. The ninth paper completes the discussion by highlighting living elements of Javanese culture as the foundation of Kediri’s urban civilisation. Overall, these proceedings affirm the important role of the Javanese ethnic group in identity formation, regional solidarity, and the development of a dynamic and resilient Nusantara culture.

TITLE: SYAIR DANG SIRAT (JOHOR-PATANI) VERSI TRANSKRIPSI DAN ALIH AKSARA

PUBLICATION: Centre of Conservation for Sustainable Ethnic Heritage (CASEH)

eISBN : 978-629-94893-1-3

CATALOGUING RECORD : Malaysia National Library (PNM)

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2026

BOOK SYNOPSIS: 

Old Malay literary manuscripts written in the Jawi script (Arabic-Malay) constitute an intellectual treasure that records the development of language, worldview, and the cultural landscape of the Malay community in earlier times. Through these texts, the aesthetic beauty of traditional literature is reflected, alongside the depiction of networks of thought, cultural interactions, and cross-regional connections that have existed for centuries. However, changes in script, language development, and the evolution of spelling systems have rendered much of these manuscripts increasingly difficult to access for contemporary readers, particularly the younger generation who are newly approaching the study of classical Malay manuscripts.

This book is the result of independent research conducted from 2025 to early 2026, with a special focus on Syair Dang Sirat, also known in some sources as Syair Dang Sarat. The study is based on an old manuscript believed to have been copied around the year 1700, written in Malay using the Arabic-Malay script, and presented in narrative poetry form. In terms of content, the text recounts a ruler of Johor, detailing the dynamics of his household relations with the Queen of Patani and a maid named Dang Sarat within the context of diplomatic relations and royal honor between the two Malay kingdoms.

The manuscript serving as the primary source for this study is preserved in the National Library Board Singapore and is also recorded in the British Library collection under reference number Add MS 12381. The manuscript has been digitized by the holding institution with support from William and Judith Bollinger and is available as a digital document. Copyright for the digitization belongs to The British Library © 2013. However, this copyright does not extend to the transliteration, editing, annotation, interpretation, and scholarly organization contained in this book.

From a codicological and grapho-linguistic perspective, the manuscript exhibits features of classical Jawi writing, with grapheme variations, non-standard spellings, and punctuation marks reflecting the copying conventions of its time. Certain letter forms and word structures indicate the influence of Arabic and Persian, while specific lexical elements suggest layers of historical cultural interactions. The text is classified as Malay poetry and is directly related to the historical study of Johor as well as the tradition of Malay manuscripts in the Malay Peninsula and Patani. The physical characteristics and copying style of the manuscript indicate that it was produced within a tradition possessing aesthetic and symbolic awareness of language.

From a narrative perspective, Syair Dang Sirat presents the dramatic tension between the outward grandeur and inner fragility of a ruler. The story begins in the seventeenth century when a large fleet from Johor sails to Patani to strengthen political ties through royal marriage. However, the journey, intended to symbolize unity and honor, turns into an episode that wounds dignity and leaves a profound mark in historical memory.

The central figure of tension is Dang Sirat, a woman not of royal descent but possessing extraordinary charm through her voice. Her influence over the ruler of Johor is depicted as so strong that it clouds political judgment and state responsibilities. In front of Raja Kuning, the female ruler of Patani portrayed as wise and authoritative, the Sultan’s inner weakness becomes increasingly evident. The conflict peaks when Dang Sirat crosses social and courtly boundaries, triggering a diplomatic crisis that threatens relations between the two states. The conclusion of the poem presents a symbolic punishment more painful than armed conflict, serving as a sign of disgrace and a reminder of how fragile honor can be when a leader loses self-control.

The transcription process in this book was conducted manually, letter by letter, directly from the digital manuscript before transliteration into the Roman script, with efforts to preserve the graphemic and orthographic features of the source text. This approach aims to maintain the visual traces of the original scribe while allowing readers to trace the language structure as reflected in the manuscript. Spellings that appear unusual were not automatically corrected but are explained through footnotes to preserve textual integrity.

Extensive use of footnotes is made to explain terms, expressions, language forms, and cultural references that may pose comprehension challenges. Footnotes serve as a medium for clarification and an intellectual dialogue between the heritage text and contemporary readers, rather than as an intervention into the original content.

Within the framework of New Historicism, literary texts are understood as active components of historical practice. Therefore, Syair Dang Sirat is interpreted as an emotional historical source recording the inner experiences of the Malay community in understanding power, interpreting diplomacy, and upholding honor. This approach allows the relationship between literature and history to be understood as complementary and dynamic.

The efforts of transliteration and footnote preparation in this book strike a balance between philological description and contextual interpretation. While this approach may be considered beyond conventional textual philology, it represents the innovative value of the work: broadening access, expanding readership, and reviving old manuscripts as texts that can be understood, appreciated, and academically discussed.

TITLE: THE ARCHITECTONICS OF LI: ZHU XI'S NEO- CONFUCIANISM AND THE SPATIAL ORDER OF HUIZHOU DWELLINGS

PUBLICATION: Centre of Conservation for Sustainable Ethnic Heritage (CASEH)

ISBN : 978-629-94893-2-0

CATALOGUING RECORD : Malaysia National Library (PNM)

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2026

BOOK SYNOPSIS: 

Architecture, in its most profound historical iterations, is never merely an assembly of tectonic elements or a passive backdrop to human activity; rather, it is the tangible spatial materialisation of cultural ontology. The Architectonics of Li: Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism and the Spatial Order of Huizhou Dwellings undertakes a rigorous excavation of the intricate dialectic between metaphysical thought and the built environment. At the epicentre of this scholarly investigation lies a singular, epochal synthesis: the translation of Zhu Xi’s supreme philosophical concept of Li (理)—the underlying, rational principle of the cosmos and human morality—into the vernacular domestic geography of the historical Huizhou region during late imperial China.

Zhu Xi (1130–1200), the paramount architect of Neo-Confucianism, fundamentally reshaped the intellectual and social landscape of East Asia. By synthesising cosmology with ethics, he posited that Li is the indivisible, universal pattern inherent in all things, dictating both the physical laws of nature and the moral imperatives of human relations. To comprehend Li is to align oneself with the cosmic order. Yet, philosophical treatises alone do not sustain societal structures across centuries. Abstract moral precepts require a physical vessel—a spatial theatre—where daily praxis can instil orthodox values. Huizhou, recognised not only as a formidable economic powerhouse fueled by its itinerant merchant class during the Ming and Qing dynasties but crucially as the ancestral homeland of Zhu Xi himself, cultivated a profound lineage culture steeped in this orthodoxy. It is here that the philosophical mandate found its most absolute architectural expression.

The striking aesthetic vernacular of Huizhou architecture has long captivated architectural historians and cultural preservationists alike. Its stark, whitewashed walls soaring against verdant mountains, its dramatic, stepped horse-head gables (matouqiang), and its deeply introverted, shadowy skywells (tianjing) form an iconic visual lexicon. However, a predominantly aesthetic reading obscures a more profound structural reality. This volume contends that the underlying spatial logic of these dwellings demands a rigorous philosophical reading. The Huizhou house is emphatically not a mere shelter; it is a meticulously calibrated microcosm, a pedagogical apparatus designed to enforce and perpetuate the socio-ethical imperatives of Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism.

The core premise of this book—the "architectonics of Li"—asserts that the physical organisation of the Huizhou domestic sphere is a direct, structural analogue to Neo-Confucian moral taxonomy. Through a painstaking analysis of spatial syntax, we reveal how metaphysical virtues were codified into timber framing, brickwork, and spatial voids. The strict axial symmetry of the compound dictates social hierarchy; the progressive sequencing of courtyards regulates access and ritual propriety; the severe spatial delineation of gender and generational boundaries enforces the cardinal human relationships. The ancestral hall, often integrated into or intimately linked with the domestic complex, serves as the spiritual and juridical anchor, physically binding the living inhabitants to an eternal lineage prescribed by Li. In this context, architecture becomes an active agent of moral cultivation, continuously moulding its inhabitants through the silent but ubiquitous dictates of spatial limitation and orientation.

By bridging the disciplinary chasms that have traditionally separated architectural theory, Chinese philosophy, sociology, and cultural anthropology, this book offers a novel hermeneutic framework. Historically, scholars of Chinese philosophy have treated architecture as an incidental artefact, while architectural historians have often engaged with Neo-Confucianism only as a generalised cultural backdrop. The Architectonics of Li rectifies this bifurcation. We position Zhu Xi’s thought not merely as an abstract influence, but as the generative blueprint—the very genetic code—of Huizhou spatiality.

This text addresses a critical lacuna in the English-language scholarship on Chinese architectural history. The ensuing chapters guide the reader through a systematic unearthing of this relationship. We begin by unpacking the metaphysical dimensions of Li and its specific interpretations within Huizhou lineage society. Subsequent chapters offer detailed architectural analyses of extant dwellings, utilising spatial mapping and historical documentation to demonstrate how philosophical theories dictated tectonic choices. Finally, we explore the social ramifications of this spatial order, examining how the architecture functioned during the zenith of the Huizhou merchant era, sustaining patriarchal authority and lineage cohesion even as male heads of household traded far from home. Ultimately, The Architectonics of Li is an invitation to reconsider the profound agency of the built environment. We hope that this interdisciplinary exploration will illuminate the enduring legacy of Neo-Confucian spatial logic, offering scholars, architects, and historians a vital contribution to our understanding of how traditional societies constructed and sustained profound cosmic meaning through the architecture of the everyday.

TITLE: PANDUAN PENYULUHAN DAN PENDAMPINGAN USAHA MIKRO KECIL DAN MENENGAH : PEMBERDAYAAN UMKM DENGAN PENDEKATAN KALSTER UNTUK PENINGKATAN KINERJA (Empowering Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through a Cluster-Based Approach to Enhance Performance)

PUBLICATION: Centre of Conservation for Sustainable Ethnic Heritage (CASEH)

ISBN : 978-629-94893-3-7

CATALOGUING RECORD : Malaysia National Library (PNM)

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2026

BOOK SYNOPSIS: 

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) play a crucial role in economic development by generating employment opportunities, fostering innovation, and contributing significantly to national income. However, many MSMEs face persistent challenges, including limited access to markets, technology, financing, managerial capabilities, and business networks. These constraints often hinder their growth and competitiveness in increasingly dynamic economic environments. This study examines the implementation of a cluster-based empowerment approach as a strategic framework for improving MSME performance through systematic extension and mentoring activities.

The cluster approach emphasises collaboration among geographically concentrated enterprises operating within similar or related sectors. By encouraging collective action, knowledge sharing, resource optimisation, and stronger linkages with supporting institutions, clusters can create a more conducive ecosystem for business development. Through structured counselling, capacity-building programs, and continuous mentoring, MSME actors are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to enhance productivity, product quality, innovation, and market access.

This study explores the role of extension services and mentoring programs in facilitating business transformation within MSME clusters. The framework highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement, including government agencies, financial institutions, academic organisations, and industry partners, in providing technical assistance and sustainable support mechanisms. The findings suggest that MSMEs participating in cluster-based development initiatives demonstrate improved operational efficiency, stronger market competitiveness, increased networking opportunities, and better adaptability to changing economic conditions.

Furthermore, the study underscores the significance of integrating empowerment strategies with local economic potentials to ensure long-term sustainability and inclusive growth. The cluster-based approach not only strengthens individual enterprises but also contributes to regional economic resilience through collective advancement. Therefore, effective extension and mentoring programs within MSME clusters can serve as a practical model for enhancing business performance, promoting entrepreneurship, and supporting sustainable economic development in both urban and rural contexts.