Rights to the city, tolerance, and the Javanese concepts of "rukun" and "tepo Sliro": A portray from five kampungs in Yogyakarta

Abstract

The research explores how the notion of 'rights to the city,' as an important element of the contestation over the globalized "human rights' movement, is then manifested and implemented in local context. It aims to understand whether the idea of rights to the city is perceived and practiced in a specific setting, the urban Javanese context and setting, in this case, the historic city of Yogyakarta. It is based on the idea that in historic city like Yogyakarta, existing local norms and concepts could be contested with western norms and concepts of rights to the city. This was an exploratory research, utilizing multiple case studies approach and method to understand local norms and theories related to the issue of rights to the city and city tolerance. The research purposively selected five case studies that represented the Javanese concepts of rights to the city and city tolerance. It revealed that the practice of Javanese concepts of 'rukun' and 'tepo sliro' could be contested with the western concepts of rights to the city and city tolerance. It, however, also showed that such concepts were not free from misuse and even abuse to maintain status quo or to exhibit quasi-harmony. The paper also showed how the idea of inclusive and sustainable city under the New Urban Agenda was interpreted and implemented in local situation and contexts.