Social Mobility and Cultural Reproduction of Javanese Descendant Community in Bangkok, Thailand

摘要

There is a settlement of Javanese ethnicity in Sathorn District, Bangkok City. Although they claimed themselves to Javanese descendants, they are not good at speaking Javanese language. The purposes of this article are; (1) to describe the existence of the Javanese descendants in Bangkok City, Thailand, and (2) to know how the reproduction of Javanese culture is performed. The method used was qualitative research method. Data collection techniques used were observation, interviews, and literature review. Field observation in Sathorn, Bangkok, Thailand was conducted in July 2016. The results of this study showed that their ancestors originated from Kendal and Demak in Central Java who performed social mobility to Bangkok to build Lumbini park by the end of the 19th century. The affirmation of their Javanese identity was not by preserving the use of their mother tongue, Javanese language. The affirmation of the identity was centralized on the existence of the Javanese mosque as their cultural behavior. The Siamese ultra-nationalism (1939-1947), which aimed at forming a Siamese State based on one religion, nation, language and culture, has hampered the preservation of Javanese language among the diasporic Javanese ethnicity in Bangkok. The use of Thai language in sermons in the Javanese mosque, called as kenduri or selamatan, and sungkeman is a form of cultural reproduction of Javanese descendants who are influenced by their new environment in Bangkok dominated by Thai culture and language.