Cultural Aspects and the Sustainability of the Tasikmadu Sugar Factory as an Industrial Living Heritage in Java

Abstract

Adipati Mangkunegara IV founded the Tasikmadu Sugar Factory in the Karanganyar region, Central Java, in 1871 and is still active today. The Tasikmadu sugar factory is an essential industrial heritage in Java because it is the first modern sugar factory in the Javanese kingdom that still survives its function. The existence of a sugar factory in the Javanese kingdom initiated the interaction between Javanese agrarian feudal culture and modern capitalism culture at that time. This paper aims to identify what cultural elements are present in Praja Mangkunegaran’s sugar factory environment. The cultural interactions in the sugar factory environment are then viewed from the system setting which consists of aspects of actors, activities, and places through a qualitative descriptive historical approach. The findings from the aspect of actors indicate central figures who are culturally very influential on the sugar factory production system. The activity aspect findings show that there are ritual activities in the production process that are culturally important because they are considered to determine the success of all activities in the sugar factory. The aspects of actors and activities are in line with findings from the aspect of the place, which show that rational considerations in factory buildings’ structure are related to the sacred-profane conception that is believed by the Javanese people. These cultural aspects play a role in supporting the sustainability of the Praja Mangkunegaran sugar factory.