Integration of cultural logic into traditional business practice in Makassar, Indonesia

Abstract

This study examines how local cultural logic are integrated into the economic practices of traditional markets in Makassar, Indonesia, and how these values sustain resilience in the face of modernization and globalization. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork for 6 months, including participant observation in six traditional markets across Makassar, in-depth interviews with 12 participants, and document analysis, the research identifies eight core values that structure market life: siri’ (honor), pacce (solidarity), lempu’ (honesty), reso’ (perseverance), assitinajang (fairness), pappaseng (ancestral wisdom), pabbere’ (generosity), and ammacca’na (prudence). These values function simultaneously as moral obligations and strategic resources, embedding commerce within wider social and cultural frameworks. The findings challenge dominant modernization narratives that depict traditional markets as residual or destined for decline. Instead, traders demonstrate both adaptations, through selective use of digital technologies and flexible practices, and resistance, by rejecting impersonal or exploitative practices that undermine dignity and fairness. Theoretically, the study contributes to debates on embeddedness, cultural capital, and moral economy, highlighting that cultural repertoires can be converted into economic resilience. Practically, the study underscores that revitalization of traditional markets requires policies that strengthen, rather than erode, the moral economies that underpin community-based trade. While previous studies on traditional markets have emphasized economic efficiency, informality, or spatial planning, fewer have examined how culturally embedded moral values actively structure economic practice and resilience in contemporary urban markets. This study addresses this gap by offering an ethnographic analysis of how local cultural logics in Makassar’s traditional markets are mobilized as both moral frameworks and economic resources.

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