Ruang yang Dicadangkan: Repatriasi dan Narasi Dekolonial atas Masa Hindu-Buddha pada Museum di Indonesia

Sektiadi, Prof. Dr. Bambang Purwanto, M.A.; Dr. Mahirta, M.A.

2026 | Disertasi | S3 Ilmu-ilmu Humaniora

Museum modern lahir dan berkembang di bawah pengaruh kolonialisme dan dominasi Barat yang kuat, yang pada gilirannya memengaruhi bias penyajian narasi pameran. Pada saat yang sama, berbagai objek arkeologis masa Hindu-Buddha dipindahkan (displaced) keluar Indonesia, khususnya ke Belanda. Para peneliti kolonial mengonstruksikan masa Hindu-Buddha sebagai puncak perkembangan kesenian Indonesia, sebuah sudut pandang estetika-superlatif yang mendominasi narasi budaya hingga pascakemerdekaan. Oleh karena itu, diperlukan tindakan dekolonialisasi museum melalui strategi repatriasi koleksi kolonial. Penelitian ini bertujuan merumuskan strategi dekolonialisasi museum di Indonesia dengan memanfaatkan objek-objek hasil repatriasi. Masalah utama yang dikaji meliputi dimensi kolonial museum, pelacakan objek yang mengalami displacement, mekanisme repatriasi, serta rekonstruksi narasi baru periode Hindu-Buddha. Metode penelitian dilakukan melalui pengumpulan data kondisi objek dan pameran di Indonesia dan Belanda, analisis objek kolonial/repatriasi, serta penyusunan narasi baru pameran. Dengan alat analisis menggunakan konsep dekolonialitas dari Walter Mignolo, penelitian ini menghasilkan sebuah model narasi baru yang bersifat dekolonial—yang tidak lagi berfokus pada aspek fisik-estetis dan superlatif objek—serta merumuskan strategi repatriasi objek Hindu-Buddha yang kontekstual bagi museum di Indonesia.

Modern museums emerged and developed under the influence of colonialism and strong Western dominance, which in turn biased the presentation of exhibition narratives. Simultaneously, various archaeological objects from the Hindu-Buddhist period were displaced from Indonesia, particularly to the Netherlands. Colonial researchers constructed the Hindu-Buddhist period as the pinnacle of Indonesian art development—an aesthetic-superlative perspective that dominated cultural narratives well into the post-independence era. Consequently, museum decolonization through the repatriation of colonial collections is imperative. This study aims to formulate museum decolonization strategies in Indonesia by utilizing repatriated objects. The primary issues examined include the colonial dimension of museums, the tracking of displaced objects, the mechanisms of repatriation, and the reconstruction of a new narrative for the Hindu-Buddhist period. The research methodology involves collecting data on the condition of objects and museum exhibitions in both Indonesia and the Netherlands, analyzing colonial and repatriated objects, and constructing new exhibition narratives. Using Walter Mignolo's concept of decoloniality as an analytical framework, this study generates a new decolonial narrative model—one that shifts focus away from the physical-aesthetic and superlative aspects of objects—and formulates a contextual repatriation strategy for Hindu-Buddhist objects in Indonesian museums.

Keywords: 

Kata Kunci : repatriasi, arkeologi Hindu-Buddha, koleksi kolonial, narasi pameran, narasi dekolonial, museum Indonesia, repatriation, Hindu-Buddhist archaeology, colonial collections, exhibition narratives, decolonial narrative, Indonesian museums