| Abstract: | Indonesia, among the world's most culturally diverse countries, has long grappled with the issues of national unity. This paper explores the meanings of Medan Merdeka Independence Square] in central Jakarta, Indonesia - a particular site in which symbols for the abstract ideals of political unity and national identity were constructed in an urban space honoring the struggle for national independence. These symbols, however, also expose the struggle to define “Indonesianness” within the international geopolitical milieu of the post-independence years. As such they offer a glimpse into competing interpretations of identity and the real world struggle to impose meaning on the built environment. |
