Title: Perceived authenticity of the Pancasila Sakti Museum by high school students

Authors: Vilory Mega Prameswari; Wiwik Sushartami; Raden Rucitarahma Ristiawan

Addresses: Tourism Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia ' Tourism Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia ' Cultural Geography Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen 6708 PB, the Netherlands

Abstract: This paper will extend authenticity into heritage management by examining the production of perceived authenticity of the Pancasila Sakti Museum among high school student visitors in Indonesia. The Pancasila Sakti Museum is a historical site commemorating one of the most significant events in Indonesian political history. The museum management responds to the changing political climate in Indonesia by employing strategies aimed at promoting the authenticity of the site. Visitors, however, who are exposed to alternative narratives visit the Museum with their interpretations. Based on interviews with 27 high school visitors, this study shows that despite the visitors' skepticism and conflicting narratives, the site's integrated content that is supported by documentation and verification by historians confirms the site's perceived authenticity among high school student visitors. Thereby, this paper unmasks the state's symbolic legitimation as a significant determining attribute of visitors' authentic experience in visiting heritage sites.

Keywords: perceived authenticity; heritage management; contesting narratives; historical site; high school visitors.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTA.2021.10046408

International Journal of Tourism Anthropology, 2021 Vol.8 No.3, pp.254 - 275

Received: 28 Jul 2021
Accepted: 16 Jan 2022
Published online: 21 Apr 2022 *

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