Humility In Public: Andhap Asor In Javanese Cultural Narratives

Abstract

Public narratives provide a setting in which cultural values are invoked to interpret social conduct. This study examines how andhap asor, a Javanese expression of humility, is represented as a reference for social relationships in publicly accessible documents. An interpretive qualitative documentary approach was applied to five documents published between 2021 and 2026, comprising cultural reporting, an opinion essay, and institutional accounts situated in Yogyakarta. Meaning-bearing passages were examined through reflexive thematic analysis, attending to source context, communicative purpose, and associations with other cultural values. The analysis identified one recurring finding: andhap asor functions as a cultural reference for interpreting desirable relationships. Its meanings emerge through artistic metaphors, criticism of inconsiderate conduct, and appeals to cooperation, solidarity, and cultural continuity. Connections with tepa selira and rukun illuminate expectations of consideration and harmonious coexistence. These findings concern meanings expressed within the selected texts, with their enactment remaining open to further investigation. The study contributes a situated understanding of humility as a publicly articulated relational expectation whose significance develops through the social concerns and communicative contexts surrounding its invocation.