In this thesis, I have traced the evolution of Borobudur from a sanctuary to a sacred landscape to show the role played by heritage in the production of, and resistance to, social inequalities....Show moreIn this thesis, I have traced the evolution of Borobudur from a sanctuary to a sacred landscape to show the role played by heritage in the production of, and resistance to, social inequalities. Moreover, I have looked at how all of this affects the space and connects heritage to broader agendas of sustainability. I have done so by focusing on a set of social actors such as Indonesian bureaucrats and NGOs workers related to the difference perceptions of the site as: a monumen nasional (national monument) to a taman nasional purkabala (archaeological park), to a taman wisata (tourism park), to a World heritage site, but also, from a site of kearifan lokal (local wisdom) to a saujana (cultural landscape), and particularly to a mandala saujana (Borobudur cultural landscape).On this background, I will attempt to answer the following questions: how notions of heritage are mobilized by social actors at Borobudur in such a way to produce, as well as to counter, social inequalities such as the social and cultural evacuation of the space? What limits and challenges do these social actors face? What lessons can be learned in terms of sustainability? My argument is that processes of heritage involve continuous re-negotiation of perceptions through encounters, alliances, and creative appropriations. If we want to understand to what extent the power of culture is taking over the culture of power in the contemporary historical moment in any given context, we should look at the dynamics of such articulations.Show less