“Labuhan Alit ritual is a ritual performed every 30 Rajab to celebrate Jumenengan Dalem (ascension to the throne) of Sultan Hamengkubuwana at the Yogyakarta Palace. In her research, she explained how the Labuhan Alit ritual can represent the transformation of the legitimacy of the king’s power over the people as a representation of the order of socio-political power. This study uses the Post structuralism theories of Bourdieu and Giddens, by focusing on Bourdieu’s structural theory and the theory of structuring, reproduction and Giddens domination,” said Dr. Ken Widyatwati, S.S., M.Hum., lecturer at the Faculty of Humanities, Diponegoro University.
Bourdieu’s theory functions to explain in detail the functions and processes of cultural and traditional involvement in social behavior, while structural theory is used to explain the process of social behavior in society. The combination of these theories is useful for understanding the sustainability of communication between the palace and the community through the construction of the Labuhan Alit ritual.
This study uses a qualitative method, based on the analysis, the results obtained that the balance of power between the Sultan and the people is the relationship between the authorities and the governed. The relationship between the king and the people in the Labuhan Alit ritual is a symbolic force that provides socio-political power to the Sultan. Relationships and communication created in Labuhan Alit rituals are created through structural relations between the Sultan, palace and the people. The community considers the Labuhan Alit ritual as a source of safety and prosperity. Whereas the palace and the sultan position the Labuhan Alit ritual as a cultural asset that can be used to dominate and legitimize the community so it must be preserved.
“Cultural transformation in the implementation of Labuhan Alit rituals is a process of developing ritual forms from traditional pure form to new forms according to technological developments. Reproduction of the Labuhan Alit ritual becomes a vehicle for the legitimacy of the Sultan and shows the power of the Sultan to maintain relations and existence. The power and strength of the Sultan in carrying out the Labuhan Alit ritual showed the Sultan’s authority in the socio-political order to preserve the identity of the Yogyakarta Palace and cultural heritage,” explained Dr. Ken. (Lin/Rafi – Public Relations)
