CASEH PUBLICATION

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.