Language as Cultural Capital: A Narrative Review of Local Wisdom (Kearifan Lokal) in Indonesian Community-Based Tourism Development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65310/jjw29y19Keywords:
community-based tourism, cultural capital, Indonesia, linguistic capital, local wisdomAbstract
This study examines how regional languages and local-wisdom vocabulary function as linguistic and cultural capital within Indonesian community-based tourism. Using a conceptual narrative literature review, the study synthesizes Indonesian and comparative scholarship on language, cultural identity, local wisdom, tourism governance, and linguistic capital. The findings show that local expressions perform three major functions: signaling authenticity, maintaining collective identity, and generating symbolic, social, or economic value. Their conversion into tourism value depends on institutional support, language training, literacy, community participation, market recognition, infrastructure, and the strength of customary governance. The review also demonstrates that tourism may support language revitalization when communities retain control over representation, transmission, and commercialization. Conversely, weak governance, excessive commodification, and the dominance of global languages can reduce regional-language visibility and detach cultural expressions from their original social meanings. The study concludes that sustainable community-based tourism requires language to be treated not merely as a promotional tool but as a governed cultural resource whose ownership, transmission, and value remain anchored in the community. These findings extend linguistic-capital analysis by highlighting governance as the central condition shaping sustainable outcomes.
Downloads
References
Arafah, B., Hasyim, M., Aman, R. bin, Agussalim, A., & Latief, M. R. A. (2026). Language as a gateway to authentic tourism: Leveraging Bugis-Makassar expressions in South Sulawesi's tourism industry. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 16(2), 597–604. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1602.25
Artanti, Y., et al. (2024). Empowering heritage tourism communities through foreign language capacity building: Evidence from a cultural institution in Indonesia. Journal of Society Innovation and Development. 6(1), 066–077. https://doi.org/10.63924/jsid.v6i1.282
Artanti, Y., et al. (2025). Language training as a driver of community empowerment and sustainable heritage tourism: A case study from the Yogyakarta Royal Palace. Journal of Society Innovation and Development. 7(1), 221–233. https://doi.org/10.63924/jsid.v7i1.284
Basyari, W. (2023). Kearifan lokal dan tradisi budaya sebagai daya tarik serta identitas Desa Wisata Cibuntu, Kabupaten Kuningan (Perspektif ilmu pengetahuan sosial terpadu). NUSANTARA: Jurnal Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial. https://jurnal.um-tapsel.ac.id/index.php/nusantara/article/view/23543
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood Press.
Budiarsa, M., et al. (2018). Linguistic capital as foreign dominations in tourism domain: A case in Seminyak-Bali. Tourism and Hospitality Management.
Darto, Aditiany, S., Myrna, R., & Kamila, N. (2025). Exploring local wisdom via community-based tourism for sustainable tourism development in Cigugur, Kuningan, Indonesia. Journal of Ecohumanism, 4(2), 1352–1358. https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v4i2.6501
Duchêne, A., & Heller, M. (Eds.). (2012). Language in late capitalism: Pride and profit. Routledge.
Ginting, A. R. M., et al. (2025). Internalizing local wisdom in tourism management: A strategy for sustainable tourism in Pangandaran, Indonesia. Journal of Tourism Sustainability. 5(3), 45-52. https://doi.org/10.35313/jtospolban.v5i3.173
Heller, M. (2003). Globalization, the new economy, and the commodification of language and identity. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 7(4), 473–492. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9841.2003.00238.x
Husen, E. F., Sari, T. K., & Hutagalung, H. (2025). Sustainable tourism development through local wisdom in Pentingsari, Yogyakarta. Indonesian Tourism Journal, 2(2), 145–161. https://doi.org/10.69812/itj.v2i2.142
Khazanah, D., et al. (2021). Unpacking multilingualism in tourism peripheries in Bali: Taking a look into private shop-fronts. Conference proceedings / working paper.
Li, J., Xu, M., & Chen, J. (2020). A Bourdieusian analysis of the multilingualism in a poverty-stricken ethnic minority area: Can linguistic capital be transferred to economic capital? Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 43(2), 122–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2020.1733585
Mentansan, G., et al. (2023). Sasi local wisdom as a cultural capital for sustainable tourism development in Raja Ampat Regency, West Papua. International Journal of Green Tourism Research and Applications. 5(1), 52–59. https://doi.org/10.31940/ijogtra.v5i1.52-59
Nofiyanti, F., et al. (2021). Local wisdom for sustainable rural tourism: The case study of North Tugu Village, West Java Indonesia. E3S Web of Conferences. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202123202031
Pattaray, A. (2022). Leveraging local wisdom as social capital for sustainable tourism: A case study of the Ponan tradition in Poto Village, Sumbawa, Indonesia. TourismSpectrum: Diversity & Dynamics. 1(2),104-114. https://doi.org/10.56578/tsdd010204
Pratama, A. Y., et al. (2024). Local knowledge conservation based on indigenous tourism village. KnE Social Sciences. 9(15), 187–192. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v9i15.16211
Pratiwi, M. A., et al. (2022). Local wisdom as cultural resilience on tourism activities (Case study: Penglipuran Bali traditional village). Local Wisdom: Jurnal Ilmiah Kajian Kearifan Lokal. 14(1), 95–105. https://doi.org/10.26905/lw.v14i2.6857
Robbins, D. (2005). The origins, early development and status of Bourdieu's concept of 'cultural capital'. The British Journal of Sociology, 56(1), 13–30.
Robinson-Jones, C. (2026). Linguistic landscapes of intangible cultural heritage museums representing minority languages: The case of the 'Gerhard Rohlfs' Museum of the Calabrian Greek Language. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 47(1), 338–356. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2024.2387152
Sieras, S. (2025). The power that disempowers: An analysis of how English shapes the tourism landscape of Northern Mindanao, Philippines. International Journal of English Language Studies. 7(3),38-48. 10.32996/ijels.2025.7.3.4
Simatupang, L., et al. (2025). The dynamics of regional language attitudes as a cultural asset for sustainable tourism: A study of Balikpapan's multilingual communities amid IKN development. Journal of Rural Tourism. 3(1), 122-129. https://doi.org/10.70310/jrt.2026.03010696
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Sumarmi, S., et al. (2026). Community-based tourism (CBT) in the Osing community's local wisdom to support UNESCO Global Geopark Ijen in Kemiren Village, Indonesia. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites. 64(1). 10.30892/gtg.64115-1665
Surpa, W., et al. (2023). Existence deep local wisdom policy development tourism in Tenganan Village Gringsingan Karangasem Regency, Bali Province. International Journal of Educational Research Excellence (IJERE). 2(2), 473–483. https://doi.org/10.55299/ijere.v2i2.615
Tanjung, I. S., et al. (2021). Development of tourism communication model based on local wisdom in Padangsidimpuan. Conference proceedings / working paper.
Tong, H. K., & Cheung, L. H. (2011). Cultural identity and language: A proposed framework for cultural globalisation and glocalisation. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 32(1), 55–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2010.527344
Tuktamyshova, A., et al. (2022). Pride and profit: Language, identity and tourism in Russia. International Multilingual Research Journal. 17(1), 33–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/19313152.2022.2101330
Wang, X., Gao, Y., Liu, X., & Yin, J. (2026). Valuing, displaying, and legitimizing language in the linguistic landscape of Hurghada's tourism-commercial field. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2026.2690075
Wang, Y., et al. (2026). Mapping inequality, charting justice: A bibliometric critique of linguistic capital research. International Journal of Multilingualism. 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2026.2675484
Yang, H., et al. (2022). Between authenticity and commodification: Valorization of ethnic Bai language and culture in China. International Journal of English Linguistics. 12(5), 74–88. 10.5539/ijel.v12n5p74
Yunus, R. N., et al. (2024). The influence of language competence, literacy, local wisdom and multimedia in developing the tourism potential of Pematang Serai Village. International Journal of English and Applied Linguistics (IJEAL).
Zaini, R., et al. (2024). Harnessing Indonesian local wisdom for innovative tourism development in the creative economy. International Journal of Accounting and Management Research. 5(2):57-66. https://doi.org/10.30741/ijamr.v5i2.1405
Zainudin, M. (2025). Contextual learning model for Indonesian language based on tourism literature. Journal of Scientific Research, Education, and Technology (JSRET). 4(3), 1673–1679. https://doi.org/10.58526/jsret.v4i3.860
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Darmayasa Darmayasa, Arwin Tannuary, Muhammad Fachri Hamdani (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
