Curation, Value, and Cultural Identity of Independent Bookstores in Yogyakarta: A Bourdieusian Perspective

Abstract

Research Objective. This study examines how bookstore owners' tastes and values shape the cultural identities of independent bookstores in Yogyakarta. Using Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, cultural capital, social capital, symbolic capital, and field, this study understands independent bookstores not merely as commercial spaces but as curatorial spaces where books, ideas, and cultural meanings are selected, displayed, and legitimized. This study aims to extend Bourdieu's theoretical framework to the everyday curatorial practices of independent bookstore owners in Yogyakarta, a context rarely examined through this lens, thereby illuminating how taste and value are actively enacted, not merely inherited, in the construction of cultural identity. Research Method. This study employed a qualitative approach with a constructivist perspective. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observation, and documentation. Informants were selected purposively from six independent bookstores in Yogyakarta and one mainstream bookstore as a point of comparison. Data Analysis. Data were analyzed using Miles et al.'s (2014) model, consisting of data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing. The analysis focused on collection curation, owners' tastes, bookstore values, reader relations, and cultural identity. Results. The findings show that owners' tastes determine the direction of collection, while values define the selection boundaries. Each bookstore constructs identity through different curatorial orientations, such as literature, advocacy, progressive values, access to reading, archives, small publishers, and community spaces. Conclusions.  Independent bookstores in Yogyakarta serve as cultural actors, converting cultural and social capital into symbolic capital through curation, reputation, trust, and reader recognition.curation, reputation, trust, and reader recognition.

Keywords: Independent Bookstores; Curation; Cultural Identity; Bourdieu; Yogyakarta