Reconfiguring Javanese Cultural Heritage as a Living Archive: Museum Karaton Studies and Bahana Pancasila as a Framework for Sustainable Development

Abstrak

This study reconceptualizes Javanese cultural heritage as a living archive that actively sustains civic knowledge, values, and institutional practices in contemporary society. Grounded in the concept of Bahana Pancasila, which understands cultural institutions as living vehicles for the enactment of Pancasila values, the research focuses on Karaton Surakarta Hadiningrat as a designated kawasan cagar budaya (national cultural heritage area) to examine how Museum Karaton Studies (MKS) transform heritage governance from static preservation into a dynamic process of knowledge production, cultural transmission, and civic engagement. Employing qualitative analysis of ministerial policy frameworks, institutional structures, and embedded cultural practices, the study demonstrates how Javanese philosophical principles such as rukun (social harmony), musyawarah (deliberation), and ethical leadership are continuously enacted within the Karaton as expressions of Bahana Pancasila. The findings show that this living archive is institutionally reinforced through state-recognized heritage governance, including cultural protection, inter-institutional coordination, asset management, accountability mechanisms, and participatory engagement, as mandated in national cultural policy. These practices position the Karaton as a hybrid civic space that bridges traditional authority and contemporary governance systems. Furthermore, the study reveals that this model contributes directly to Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) through the safeguarding and activation of cultural heritage as a resource for community resilience, and to Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) by fostering inclusive governance, cultural rights, and value-based institutional accountability. The study proposes a “Living Archive Civic Model,” in which Bahana Pancasila serves as the normative foundation for reinterpreting cultural heritage as an active civic pedagogy. By situating Javanese local wisdom within global development frameworks, this research offers a culturally grounded and scalable approach to integrating heritage-based knowledge systems into governance innovation