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The Language of Local Wisdom: Participatory Communication and Knowledge Conversion in Tourism Villages

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Cultural heritage is sustained not simply by what communities preserve but by how they narrate, explain, and collectively enact what they know. Yet research rarely explains how participatory communication links indigenous knowledge governance with the conversion of tacit cultural expertise into shared resources. This study examines that relationship by integrating the Indigenous Knowledge Management (IKM) cycle with the Socialisation, Externalisation, Combination, and Internalisation (SECI) model in Wukirsari and Kebonagung, two tourism villages in Bantul, Indonesia. Guided by a constructivist multiple-case design, the study drew on semi-structured interviews, participant observation, focus group discussions, and documentary analysis, interpreted through NVivo-assisted thematic coding and cross-case comparison. Findings show that oral explanation, cultural storytelling, guided demonstration, and collaborative learning enable artisans and farmers to communicate batik and agricultural knowledge across generations and audiences. Knowledge identification and transformation were prominent IKM activities, while experiential internalisation featured strongly in SECI processes. Lexical patterns further situated local wisdom within interconnected discussions of community actors, cultural practice, tourism, and collective organisation. However, incomplete digital documentation and uneven access to tourism benefits constrained knowledge continuity and inclusive participation. By positioning participatory communication as the connective practice between knowledge management and conversion, the proposed IKM–SECI synthesis extends language and communication scholarship beyond promotional storytelling towards socially situated knowledge-making. It supports community-controlled documentation, intergenerational learning, and equitable cultural governance as foundations for sustainable rural development.
DOI: 10.31849/x2xtzm83
Language: English
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $65
OpenAlex ID: W7225664101
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