Hasanuddin International Conference on Social and Political Sciences (HICOSPOS)
Heritage in the Age of Media Convergence: Memory, Identity, and Digital Transformations.
The Hasanuddin International Conference on Social and Political Sciences (HICOSPOS) 2026 entitled “Heritage in the Age of Media Convergence: Memory, Identity, and Digital Transformations.” The theme is designed to explore the dynamic intersections between cultural heritage and contemporary media landscapes. In an era marked by digital convergence, algorithmic communication, and platform capitalism, heritage is no longer confined to physical sites, rituals, or archives. Instead, it is increasingly mediated, reproduced, contested, and reinterpreted through digital platforms, social media ecosystems, visual cultures, and transnational communication networks.
In Indonesia, where diversity (Bhinneka Tunggal Ika) constitutes the foundation of national identity, media plays a pivotal role in amplifying, reframing, or even commodifying local traditions and indigenous knowledge. From viral representations of traditional rituals and culinary heritage to digital campaigns for environmental and cultural preservation, heritage becomes both a symbolic resource and a contested political arena.
This conference seeks to critically examine how media technologies reshape collective memory, identity formation, cultural representation, and heritage governance. It also interrogates the politics of visibility, authenticity, and commodification in heritage discourses, particularly within the Global South and Southeast Asian contexts. The theme underscores the importance of interdisciplinary dialogue among scholars and practitioners in social sciences, political studies, media studies, anthropology, cultural studies, communication, and heritage management.
About the series
The Hasanuddin International Conference on Social and Political Sciences (HICOSPOS) 2026 entitled “Heritage in the Age of Media Convergence: Memory, Identity, and Digital Transformations.” The theme is designed to explore the dynamic intersections between cultural heritage and contemporary media landscapes. In an era marked by digital convergence, algorithmic communication, and platform capitalism, heritage is no longer confined to physical sites, rituals, or archives. Instead, it is increasingly mediated, reproduced, contested, and reinterpreted through digital platforms, social media ecosystems, visual cultures, and transnational communication networks.
In Indonesia, where diversity (Bhinneka Tunggal Ika) constitutes the foundation of national identity, media plays a pivotal role in amplifying, reframing, or even commodifying local traditions and indigenous knowledge. From viral representations of traditional rituals and culinary heritage to digital campaigns for environmental and cultural preservation, heritage becomes both a symbolic resource and a contested political arena.
This conference seeks to critically examine how media technologies reshape collective memory, identity formation, cultural representation, and heritage governance. It also interrogates the politics of visibility, authenticity, and commodification in heritage discourses, particularly within the Global South and Southeast Asian contexts. The theme underscores the importance of interdisciplinary dialogue among scholars and practitioners in social sciences, political studies, media studies, anthropology, cultural studies, communication, and heritage management.
