ABSTRACT
This paper aims to explain the cultural ties between Indonesia and Malaysia by examining the diaspora or migration of Indonesian people across the archipelago, especially the Javanese to the Tanah Melayu peninsula (Malaysia), from the early 19th century to the early 20th century. It focuses on searching the traces of Javanese diaspora in the states of Selangor and Johor (two areas in Malaysia with the largest population of Javanese descendants) and the culture they brought and developed in their new places in that period. This paper also seeks to discuss how they adapted, assimilated and formed their identities in the new environment. This study uses a historical approach involving both qualitative and quantitative data as well as a literature review. Qualitative data were obtained by interviewing cultural actors in both Indonesia and Malaysia. Malaysians who were interviewed were Indonesian descendants, academics and so on. Quantitative data were obtained through questionnaires completed by a group of young people in Indonesia and Malaysia. A literature review was conducted by tracing written sources, especially archives, documents, newspapers and books in both countries. These data were analysed using a historical method which includes several steps, namely heuristics, criticism, interpretation and historiography.
