THE INDONESIAN ARTS AND CULTURE SCHOLARSHIP AS AN INSTRUMENTALITY OF CULTURAL DIPLOMACY INDONESIA

Abstract

Indonesia is a country that has a strategic location on the trade route, almost all
countries use that trade route which led intercorrelation about acculturation and assimilation
culture that affecting each other. This also follows many problems, especially in the area which
directly adjacent to Indonesia. Therefore, Indonesia initiated to held some dialogues in those
region. South West Pacific Dialogue (SWPD) is one of the dialogue which then produces some
cooperation, one of the cooperation in the field of culture, namely Indonesian Arts and Culture
Scholarship. Culture is a 'soft power' of Indonesia, it then utilized earnestly in order to restore
and enhance the image of Indonesia in the international world through cultural diplomacy. The
type of research used in this paper is a qualitative research approach to literature. The data
used is secondary data. The techniques of secondary data collection used from documents which
include terms of reference of Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarship from the website of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and some supporting data of cultural diplomacy obtained by the
researcher. Data analysis techniques using three main components: data reduction, data
presentation and conclusion that accompanied by verification data by data sources
triangulation. Based on the research results obtained by the researcher, it can be concluded that
cultural diplomacy undertaken by Government of Indonesia through the Indonesian Art and
Culture Scholarship program became one of the tools of diplomacy Indonesia through the
approach of 'people to people contact'. It can be seen from the participants of Indonesian Arts
and Culture Scholarship are increasingly every year. The former of Indonesian Art and Culture
Scholarship programcan contribute to Indonesia as a cultural ambassador of Indonesia in their
respective countries. Then through those cultural diplomacy, Indonesia is undergoing
restoration and enhancement of its image in the international community.
Keywords: Indonesian Arts and Cultural Scholarship, Cultural Diplomacy, Soft Power
Diplomacy.