Indonesian batik - a cultural phenomenon between tradition and propaganda

Batik is a resist dye technique that uses wax to decorate the fabric with ornaments. These ornaments, batik motives, have deep philosophical meanings and bear many connotations. Batik as a process and the result of this process, an artistically decorated fabric, is considered an ancient Indonesian tradition and a symbol of Indonesia. This bachelor thesis is focused on the meanings of batik in the past and also in contemporary Indonesia, especially in Java. The core of this thesis are four most famous batik motives (kawung, parang, the wing and megamendung) and their meanings both according to the scientific literature and according to the opinions of Indonesians themselves. There is also a chapter about the origin of the word "batik" and about the basic moments in batik development, that changed the fabrics full of philosophical meanings into a modern Indonesian fashion (batik from central principalities versus the coastal batik, Sukarno's Batik Indonesia or inscription of Indonesian batik on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO). There was also a small research using a questionnare to focus on how the contemporary Indonesians percieve batik and the mentioned motives. There is a chapter about batik as a street art, too as a part of the modern situation of batik in Indonesia