Indonesia’s Creative Economy as a New Expression of Cultural Nationalism

Abstract

Amid globalisation and digital transformation, Indonesia’s creative economy demonstrates that cultural nationalism no longer rests solely on formal national symbols, but is increasingly produced through creative practices that link cultural heritage, innovation, markets and technology. This study aims to analyse the creative economy as a new expression of cultural nationalism through a qualitative approach using an interpretative-critical case study design, employing interviews, observation, documentation and thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the creative economy is developing as a symbolic ecosystem that transforms local culture into representations of Indonesian identity through the hybridisation of local and global elements, digital circulation, cultural consumption, and the formation of soft power and cultural resilience. This process yields a form of nationalism that is more participatory, adaptive and distributed, arising from the interactions between creative practitioners, cultural communities, consumers, the state, the market and digital platforms. These findings expand our understanding of the creative economy from a sectoral paradigm towards a sphere of production that generates both economic value and national identity, whilst also revealing the risks of commodification, cultural simplification and the marginalisation of source communities. Consequently, Indonesia’s creative economy must be developed as a cultural strategy that integrates economic competitiveness with cultural justice, community protection, cultural resilience and digital sovereignty.