Jakarta, City Full of Symbols: An Essay in Symbolic Ecology

Abstract

This article focuses on the signs and symbols of contemporary Jakarta, including statues, street names, images of the city in poems, paintings, stamps, graffiti, word games, as well as in the modern myths, which are being spread by television. Alongside the symbolism of Jakarta, it also takes that of Leiden into consideration. While it attempts to flesh out some insights on Jakarta and Leiden from their contrasts, it does not aim at a systematic comparison. The discussion on Jakarta and Leiden is based on informal talks and conversations, the location and observation of statues, and the collection of data, such as poems, songs, stamps, photographs of paintings and sculptures, lists of street names, observation of television programmes, and so on. Formal written interviews with a group of students was also conducted in Jakarta, and research in the municipal archives was conducted in Leiden.