Cultural Repatriation: negotiation, conflict management,and reconciliatory diplomacy inIndonesia–Netherlands relations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66778/RI.v08n01.01Palabras clave:
cultural repatriation, international diplomacy, conflict management, soft power, Indonesia-Netherlands relationsResumen
The repatriation of colonial cultural objects from the Netherlands to Indonesia has become an important site of postcolonial diplomacy, historical recognition, and bilateral cooperation. This study analyzes how negotiation and conflict-management mechanisms are represented in media discourse and how those representations correspond with official Indonesian and Dutch policy discourse. Using a descriptive qualitative case-study design, the study analyzes 20 unique media texts published between 2019 and 2024 across Deutsche Welle Indonesia, NL Times, and The Jakarta Post, supplemented by official governmental and diplomatic documents for triangulation. Media texts are analyzed thematically through NVivo 15, while official documents are examined as evidence of state-level policy and diplomatic framing. The findings indicate that the contemporary process is characterized by provenance research, negotiated selection of objects, institutional cooperation, and formal restitution procedures. These patterns are consistent with Interest-Based Negotiation and with Dual Concern Model strategies of compromise and collaboration, although private bargaining preferences cannot be directly observed. The study further finds that repatriation creates opportunities for cultural diplomacy and reputational positioning, but media positivity alone cannot establish soft power or prove that repatriation transforms the entire bilateral relationship. Repatriation is therefore conceptualized as an ongoing process linking material restitution, cultural diplomacy, and postcolonial reconciliation rather than as a completed resolution.
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