Batik as a Culture that Represents Indonesian Identity in the Eyes of the World

 

Batik is a culture that represents Indonesian identity in the eyes of the world. In a piece of batik cloth, not only is the identity of the local culture and history of a particular area drawn, but furthermore, the image and national identity of Indonesia is imprinted.

Batik is one of Indonesia's national brands and UNESCO has designated batik as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Initially, batik was identified as a traditional Indonesian cloth. Batik is an original craft that is found in many parts of Indonesia, such as Pekalongan, Solo, Yogyakarta, Madura, Tasikmalaya, and Cirebon. Even in Sumatra and Kalimantan there are also batik craftsmen. At least 23 provinces in Indonesia have batik with their own local characteristics.

Talking about the popularity of batik in the world is the result of a long historical process. Batik craft as an industrial prototype has been recorded to appear in Java since the second half of the 19th century. However, along with the increasing popularity of batik in the eyes of the world, it is now seen that this traditional art has developed into a modern industry. The range of distribution of users is no longer limited to the domestic market but also to foreign countries.

The popularity of batik seems to be increasingly unstoppable, the implication is not only that batik is increasingly loved by the domestic market. But as time goes by, currently batik export numbers also tend to increase. Although slightly reduced because the global economic situation tends to slow down and during the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020, the export value of this batik commodity is still recorded quite well. Speaking of countries, the main market destinations for batik are Japan, the United States, and Europe.

Talking about the worldwide process of batik, it is clearly the fruit of collaboration between the government and related stakeholders to promote batik intensively and sustainably. Initially the popularity of batik was deliberately sown solely with the aim of constructing a national identity. However, in line with the dynamic development, it is clear that the government also intends to boost the popularity of batik in the eyes of the world. Apart from seeing the high appreciation of the world community, the potential of this commodity is not impossible to be Indonesia's flagship product.

Indonesian batik is not only a combination of patterns but also a combination of many colors. This batik is often said to be multicolored, as a combination of the colors of Solo batik, which are dominated by black and brown, and coastal batik, which is dominated by bright colors.

President Suharto has certainly had the greatest contribution to the history of the popularity of batik. Not a few business actors in this sector, even called the second president a "Batik Hero." Observing the dynamics of the development of batik, it can be concluded here: in the world of batik a phenomenon has emerged—to borrow a term from the repertoire of sociology— 'glocalization,' namely the marriage between the 'global' and 'local' which later shaped contemporary batik culture as a form of culture. global hybridity.

Starting from the function of batik as a symbolic identity at the national or local level, then slowly but surely now batik is starting to be accepted by the world community and is formed as part of a global cultural identity.

In contemporary batik culture, the 'global' and 'local' do not dominate each other on the one hand and/or subordinate on the other. On the contrary, it appears that there is a synergism that enriches each other.