Non-State Actors and Cultural Soft Power: The Revival of Keroncong in Malaysia-Indonesia Contemporary Diplomacy

Abstract

This article examines how Keroncong functions as a form of cultural soft power in Indonesia’s contemporary cultural diplomacy in Malaysia. While Keroncong has often been treated primarily as a heritage genre, this study argues that it also operates as a relational diplomatic resource carried by non-state actors, including music communities, cultural associations, and diaspora-based networks. Using a qualitative case study approach, the article draws on interviews, document analysis, media reports, and observations of cross-border cultural activities between 2019 and 2024. The findings show that Keroncong remains culturally intelligible in Malaysia because of shared historical and linguistic proximities, yet its diplomatic role is sustained more by non-state initiatives than by longterm state programming. The article also finds that the contemporary effectiveness of Keroncong is shaped by three interrelated conditions: competition within the global cultural market, the importance of digital platforms in extending cultural visibility, and the limited engagement of younger audiences in heritage music ecosystems. Rather than claiming a broad global revival, this article identifies a selective and context-specific reactivation of Keroncong within Indonesia-Malaysia cultural relations. Its soft power effects are visible not through immediate policy change, but through relational outcomes such as audience recognition, symbolic affinity, cross-border collaboration, and the normalization of Indonesia’s cultural presence in Malaysia. The article therefore contributes to debates on non-state cultural diplomacy by showing how historically rooted music can remain diplomatically relevant when mediated through networks, digital circulation, and intergenerational renewal.