Digital Historical Communication Archaeology Framework for Youth Interpretation of Java War Heritage in Indonesia

Abstract

Historical heritage institutions struggle to communicate complex historical meanings in digital environments. Existing digital heritage practices often prioritize technological presentation and accessibility, while giving limited attention to relationships among artifacts, curatorial authority, historical discourse, and audience interpretation. This study develops the Digital Historical Communication Archaeology (DHCA) Framework to examine how Java War heritage meanings are produced, mediated, and negotiated through interactions among heritage objects, institutions, digital media, and youth audiences in Indonesia. Employing a qualitative Research and Development (R&D) approach within a constructivist-critical paradigm, this study investigates three heritage institutions in Yogyakarta through artifact observation, document analysis, digital content analysis, semi-structured interviews, expert validation, and limited model testing. Data were collected from three museum managers, four history teachers, and twenty-nine young participants. The findings reveal six interconnected dimensions of DHCA: materiality, provenance, curatorial representation, medium, discourse, and audience participation. This study contributes a communication-centered framework that integrates heritage studies, digital remediation, and participatory interpretation. DHCA provides an analytical perspective for understanding the negotiation of historical meaning while recognizing the need for further longitudinal validation across different heritage contexts.