Misalin Tradition as Living Ecological Heritage
Reproducing Environmental Ethics and Eco-cultural Resilience through Ritual Practice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25157/jamasan.v2i2.6163Keywords:
living ecological heritage, Misalin tradition, environmental ethics, ritual practice, eco-cultural resilience, intangible cultural heritageAbstract
Environmental degradation and the weakening of intangible heritage have renewed interest in how ritual sustains relations among culture, community, and nature. Yet its role in reproducing environmental ethics and eco-cultural resilience remains underexamined. This study examines the Misalin tradition in Galuh, West Java, as living ecological heritage linking collective memory, ritual practice, and ecological values. Using a qualitative case study within a constructivist-interpretivist framework, data were gathered through participant observation, in-depth interviews with customary leaders, religious figures, residents, and government officials, and documentary analysis. The findings show that Misalin operates as a cultural institution through which ritual symbols, collective participation, sacred landscapes, and religious meanings transmit environmental ethics across generations. The ritual strengthens social cohesion, sustains cultural memory, legitimizes ecological responsibility, and supports community resilience amid socio-cultural change. The study advances heritage scholarship by proposing living ecological heritage as a framework for understanding how collective ritual practice reproduces environmental ethics and eco-cultural resilience. It also offers policy relevance for culturally grounded heritage governance.
References
Alfarizi, R., Brata, Y. R., & Sudarto, S. (2025). Value of Local Wisdom in the Nadran Tradition at the Ki Buyut Manguntapa Site in Baregbeg District, Ciamis. JAMASAN: Jurnal Mahasiswa Pendidikan Sejarah, 1(2), 206-229. https://doi.org/10.25157/jamasan.v1i2.5490
Antoni, M. R., Brata, Y. R., & Sudarto, S. (2025). Integration of Islamic Values and Local Knowledge in Social Practices for Environmental Conservation in Banjaranyar. JAMASAN: Jurnal Mahasiswa Pendidikan Sejarah, 1(2), 184-205. https://doi.org/10.25157/jamasan.v1i2.5480
Aritenang, A. (2021). The role of social capital on rural enterprises economic performance: a case study in indonesia villages. Sage Open, 11(3), 21582440211044178. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211044178
Assmann, Jan. (2011). Cultural memory and early civilization: Writing, remembrance, and political imagination. Cambridge University Press. https://books.google.co.id/books?hl=id&lr=&id=ef4fAwAAQBAJ&oi
Bell, Catherine. (1991). Ritual theory, ritual practice. Oxford University Press. https://books.google.co.id/books?hl=id&lr=&id=NCcsyQuggTYC&oi
Berger, R. (2015). Now I see it, now I don’t: Researcher’s position and reflexivity in qualitative research. Qualitative research, 15(2), 219-234. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794112468475
Berkes, F., & Ross, H. (2013). Community resilience: Toward an integrated approach. Society & natural resources, 26(1), 5-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2012.736605
Berkes, F., Colding, J., & Folke, C. (2000). Rediscovery of traditional ecological knowledge as adaptive management. Ecological applications, 10(5), 1251-1262. https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(2000)010[1251:ROTEKA]2.0.CO;2
Bott, E., & Spillius, E. B. (2014). Family and social network: Roles, norms and external relationships in ordinary urban families. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315824130
Bourdieu, P. (2011). The forms of capital. (1986). Cultural theory: An anthology, 1(81-93), 949. https://books.google.co.id/books?hl=id&lr=&id=O5uGEAAAQBAJ&oi
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis?. Qualitative research in psychology, 18(3), 328-352. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238
Brown, J., Mitchell, N. J., & Beresford, M. (Eds.). (2005). The protected landscape approach: linking nature, culture and community. IUCN. https://books.google.co.id/books?hl=id&lr=&id=18iV522zLj0C&oi
Burr, V. (2024). Social constructionism. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003335016
Carmen, E., Fazey, I., Ross, H. et al., (2022). Building community resilience in a context of climate change: The role of social capital. Ambio 51, 1371–1387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01678-9
Chwe, M. S. Y. (2013). Rational ritual: Culture, coordination, and common knowledge. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400846436
Cleaver, F. (2000). Moral ecological rationality, institutions and the management of common property resources. Development and change, 31(2), 361-383. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-7660.00158
Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American journal of sociology, 94, S95-S120. https://doi.org/10.1086/228943
Cooper, K., White, R. E., & White, R. E. (2012). Qualitative research in the post-modern era: Contexts of qualitative research (Vol. 1). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/9783032120267
Cui, J., Deng, O., Zheng, M., Zhang, X., Bian, Z., Pan, N., ... & Gu, B. (2024). Warming exacerbates global inequality in forest carbon and nitrogen cycles. Nature Communications, 15(1), 9185. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53518-5
del Valle, L. (2026). Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage for sustainable development. The case of traditional salt activity. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 16(7), 20-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-05-2022-0088
Falk, I., & Kilpatrick, S. (2000). What is social capital? A study of interaction in a rural community. Sociologia ruralis, 40(1), 87-110. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9523.00133
Geertz, C. (2017). The interpretation of cultures. Basic books. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/644321e78cd2dd37613af33e/t/663e5235524d7d32832f607f/1715360309932/geertz.pdf
Grimes, R. L. (2014). The craft of ritual studies. OUP USA. https://ronaldlgrimes.twohornedbull.ca/twohornedbull.ca/public_html/ronaldlgrimes/ronsuploads/grimes-craft-appendixes.pdf
Guba, E. G., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1994). Competing paradigms in qualitative research. Handbook of qualitative research, 2(163-194), 105. https://miguelangelmartinez.net/IMG/pdf/1994_Guba_Lincoln_Paradigms_Quali_Research_chapter.pdf
Halpern, D. (2005). Social capital. Polity. https://books.google.co.id/books?hl=id&lr=&id=fAdR6ufr8NsC&oi
Heritage, U. I. C., & Rii, P. (2020). Convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage. In Proceedings of the Report of the Eleventh Annual Coordination Meeting of Category (Vol. 2). https://ich.unesco.org/doc/src/64978-EN.pdf
Imperiale, A. J., & Vanclay, F. (2021). Conceptualizing community resilience and the social dimensions of risk to overcome barriers to disaster risk reduction and sustainable development. Sustainable Development, 29(5), 891-905. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2182
Kariveliparambil, A., Rasi, R. A., Ahmad, M. S., Öztaş, N., & Ayan, F. S. (2026). Evolving Social Capital in Indigenous Communities: Perspectives on Trust, Reciprocity, and Cultural Preservation Among Irula Elders. Journal of Social Service Research, 52(1), 147-166. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2025.2579519
Labadi, S., Giliberto, F., Rosetti, I., Shetabi, L., & Yildirim, E. (2021). Heritage and the sustainable development goals: Policy guidance for heritage and development actors. International Journal of Heritage Studies. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/89231/1/ICOMOS_SDGs_Policy_Guidance_2021.pdf
Lincoln, B. (2018). Apples and Oranges: Explorations in, on, and with Comparison. University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.7208/9780226564104
Li, N., Li, X., & Xiao, W. (2025). Intangible cultural heritage threatened-level categories and criteria. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04595-4
Liu, Y., & Song, Y. (2025). The role of Chinese folk ritual music in biodiversity conservation: an ethnobiological perspective from the Lingnan region. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 21(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-025-00755-7
Lowenthal, D. (2013). Natural and cultural heritage. In The nature of cultural heritage, and the culture of natural heritage (pp. 79-90). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315869674-7
Meissner, M. (2021). Intangible cultural heritage and sustainable development. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79938-0
Misztal, B. A. (2010). Collective memory in a global age: Learning how and what to remember. Current Sociology, 58(1), 24-44. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392109348544
Nafilah, M. A., Ramdani, D., & Sudarto, S. (2025). Preserving Cultural Narratives Through Aros Woven Fabric Crafts And The Philosophical Meaning Of Their Motifs: A Case Study Of The Baduy Indigenous Community. JAMASAN: Jurnal Mahasiswa Pendidikan Sejarah, 1(2), 127-147. https://doi.org/10.25157/jamasan.v1i2.5454
Nuraini, S., Brata, Y. R., & Sudarto, S. (2025). Sedekah Kupat: The Socio-Cultural Representation and Solidarity of the Wanareja Community, Cilacap. JAMASAN: Jurnal Mahasiswa Pendidikan Sejarah, 1(3), 383-401. https://doi.org/10.25157/jamasan.v1i3.5569
Oflazoğlu, Seda., & Dora, Marina. (2024). The role of rituals and cultural heritage in post-disaster social resilience: The case of Antakya. Gender & Development, 32(3), 821–840. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2024.2424625
Ostrom, E., & Ahn, T. K. (2009). The meaning of social capital and its link to collective action. Handbook of social capital: The troika of sociology, political science and economics, 17-35. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781848447486
Ostrom, E. (2000). Collective action and the evolution of social norms. Journal of economic perspectives, 14(3), 137-158. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.14.3.137
Poplawska, M. (2025, January). Intangible heritage system: challenges of culture preservation in a cross-cultural perspective. In Ethnomusicology Forum (Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 91-119). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/17411912.2025.2484707
Portes, Alejandro. (1998). Social capital: Its origins and applications in modern sociology. Annual Review of Sociology, 24, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.24.1.1
Putnam, R. D. (Ed.). (2002). Democracies in flux: The evolution of social capital in contemporary society. Oxford University Press. https://books.google.co.id/books?hl=id&lr=&id=24sRDAAAQBAJ&oi
Qiu, Q., Zuo, Y., & Zhang, M. (2022). Intangible cultural heritage in tourism: Research review and investigation of future agenda. Land, 11(1), 139. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11010139
Rapport, D. J., & Maffi, L. (2011). Eco-cultural health, global health, and sustainability. Ecological Research, 26(6), 1039-1049. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-010-0703-5
Rosetti, Ilaria., Bertrand Cabral, C., Pereira Roders, A., Jacobs, M., & Albuquerque, R. (2022). Heritage and sustainability: Regulating participation. Sustainability, 14(3), 1674. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031674
Rossano, M. J. (2012). The essential role of ritual in the transmission and reinforcement of social norms. Psychological bulletin, 138(3), 529. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027038
Shakya, M., & Vagnarelli, G. (2024). Creating value from intangible cultural heritage—The role of innovation for sustainable tourism and regional rural development. European Journal of Cultural Management and Policy, 14, 12057. https://doi.org/10.3389/ejcmp.2024.12057
Smith, L. (2006). Uses of heritage. Routledge. https://books.google.co.id/books?hl=id&lr=&id=bYx_AgAAQBAJ&oi
Soini, K., & Birkeland, I. (2014). Exploring the scientific discourse on cultural sustainability. Geoforum, 51, 213-223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2013.12.001
Stake, R., & Visse, M. (1995). Case study research. Cham: Springer. https://books.google.co.id/books?hl=id&lr=&id=ApGdBx76b9kC&oi
Sudarto, S., Wijayanti, Y., Pramesti, C. S., & Agustina, D. D. (2024). Pengelolaan Pertanian Berkelanjutan Berbasis Eco-spirituality Dalam Tradisi Komunitas Adat Dan Implikasinya Terhadap Ketahanan Cultural Socio-Ecological System (Studi Pada Tradisi Komunitas Adat Di Tajakembang, Cilacap, Jawa Tengah). Jurnal Ketahanan Nasional, 30(3), 367-390. http://doi.org/10.22146/jkn.100561
Sugiarto, B. R., Rohayati, D., Rustandi, A., Friatin, L. Y., Nurholis, E., & Budiman, A. (2026). Sadar Bahasa, Sadar Diri: Revolusi Sunyi dalam Konservasi Budaya. Minhaj Pustaka.
Tilley, C. (2006). Introduction: Identity, place, landscape and heritage. Journal of material culture, 11(1-2), 7-32. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359183506062990
Turner, V., Abrahams, R., & Harris, A. (2017). The ritual process: Structure and anti-structure. Routledge. https://books.google.co.id/books?hl=id&lr=&id=gaVwAAAAQBAJ&oi
UNESCO. (2020). Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: Operational Directives. UNESCO. https://ich.unesco.org/doc/src/64978-EN.pdf
Wasela, K. (2023). The role of intangible cultural heritage in the development of cultural tourism. International Journal of Eco-Cultural Tourism, Hospitality Planning and Development, 6(2), 15-28. https://doi.org/10.21608/ijecth.2024.297283.1004
White, R.E., Cooper, K. (2022). Case Study Research. In: Qualitative Research in the Post-Modern Era. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85124-8_7
Whitehouse, H., & Lanman, J. A. (2014). The ties that bind us: Ritual, fusion, and identification. Current Anthropology, 55(6), 674-695. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/678698
Wilson, G. A. (2015). Community Resilience and Social Memory. Environmental Values, 24(2), 227-257. https://doi.org/10.3197/096327114X13947900182157
Zhang, S., Zhang, X., & Liu, J. (2024). Spatial distribution and pedigree age of intangible cultural heritage along the Grand Canal of China. Heritage Science, 12(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-024-01357-4
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 JAMASAN: Jurnal Mahasiswa Pendidikan Sejarah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Articles published in JAMASAN: Journal of History Education Students are licensed under:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
This license allows readers and users to:
-
Copy, distribute, display, and adapt the work.
-
Use the work for any purpose, including commercial use.
Under the following conditions:
-
Attribution – Users must give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the journal, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
-
No additional restrictions – Users may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Copyright remains with the author(s), while the journal retains the right of first publication.
