gotong royong
Indonesian mutual aid
Gotong royong is an Indonesian term for communal work or mutual assistance, where community members voluntarily come together to accomplish tasks that benefit the group.
The concept emphasizes collective responsibility over individual effort—neighbors might gather to build a house, harvest crops, or clean public spaces.
The village relied on gotong royong to rebuild after the flood.
Though rooted in Indonesian and Malay culture, the term has gained broader use in discussions of cooperative social organization.
- group workbarn raising, work party, team building, workday, collective farming
- IndonesiaIndonesia, Java, Sumatra, Indonesian, Borneo
- Malay Wordsya, lima, air, ayah, orang
- Indonesian traditionsadat, gamelan, batik, sarong, kris
- Javanese culturegamelan, dalang, Ramayana, Mahabharata, shadow puppet
- Pancasilabelief in God, humanity, national unity, deliberation, consensus
gotong royongindividualism
Doctrine of personal independence
self-reliance · going it alone · every man for himself · solo effort · atomization
gotong royongself-interest
Concern for personal advantage
selfishness · every man for himself · looking out for number one · competition · dog-eat-dog