Sense of Community among Traditional Alcoholic Beverage Drinkers in Surakarta
Author(s): Yusana Sasanti Dadtun*, Warto, Susanto and Titis Srimuda Pitana
Abstract
Drinking ciu has never been a simple act for people in Surakarta, since it expresses how individuals explain, feel, interpret, and accept human life. The objective of this study is to examine the sense of community among the Surakarta ciu drinker community’s choice to drink ciu. The study was designed using a descriptive-qualitative method, which concerns the depth of information by examining the importance of the symptoms. This study adopted McMillan and Chavis’ (1986) sense of community theory including membership, influence, integration and fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional bond in a community. The in-depth interviews were carried out with ciu drinker community who identified themselves as Pangunci (Paguyuban Ngunjuk Ciu) (ciu drinkers of both living inside and beyond the Surakarta palace environment, as well as those out of the Pangunci community, and other related parties). Four elements or dimensions of a sense of community were discovered to be relevant in the Pangunci community characteristics. The three distinct groups of ciu drinkers have shown a sense of belonging and identification with the community, implying that the Pangunci community is distinct from general society. Membership in the Pangunci community believes that they can influence the direction of the community and the group itself in order to bring members along with them and defend their interests on the need for value and meaning. The shared emotional connection of the community members in Pangunci is reflected in their psychosocial experiences, which lead to the formation of a sense of togetherness through self-control when consuming this alcoholic beverage.
