Reconstructing the Habermasian Public Sphere through Community-Based Creative Economy: Evidence from Payungi Space, Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58879/ijcep.v6i1.147Keywords:
Habermasian Public Sphere, Community-Based Creative Economy, Pancadaya, Action Research, Asset-Based Community DevelopmentAbstract
This study explores how Payungi Space reconstructs the Habermasian public sphere through a community-based creative economy in Indonesia. Unlike the conventional understanding of the public sphere as a space for rational deliberation, this study argues that public spheres in community settings are simultaneously shaped by participatory communication, local culture, religiosity, and collective empowerment. The research adopts a qualitative ethnographic approach integrated with Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD). Data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews with eleven key informants, and document analysis, and analyzed using thematic analysis with data triangulation. The findings reveal three interconnected dimensions. First, Pancadaya serves as the normative foundation that fosters critical consciousness, collective learning, and community capacity. Second, Rembug Warga functions as a deliberative mechanism where communicative action generates consensus, trust, and collective action. Third, the integration of creative economy, digital media, cultural identity, and religious values produces multidimensional transformation, including improved livelihoods, stronger social cohesion, knowledge creation, and sustainable community empowerment. This study proposes the concept of the Community-Based Creative Public Sphere, extending Habermas's theory by demonstrating that public spheres in developing countries can integrate deliberative communication with local assets, cultural values, and creative economy practices. The findings provide both theoretical contributions to public sphere scholarship and practical insights for participatory community development and sustainable local economic transformation.
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