Problematizing policy: a semantic history of the word ‘policy’ in the Indonesian language

ABSTRACT This article uses a cultural materialism approach that combines Williams’ keyword analysis with Sum and Jessop’s cultural political economy to problematize the word ‘policy’ by taking the case of Indonesia. This combination offers a way to be more reflective of political discourses, especially their keywords. The examination shows that while the domain of policy has always been political, in the Indonesian context specifically, the term ‘policy’ itself has been politicized. Focusing on the keyword ‘policy’, I examine the selection, retention, and institutionalization of the word across policy speeches, policy documents, dictionaries, and public debates. I argue that the construction of the word policy as ‘wise’ has been made through the cloak of wisdom in order to build an apolitical image of policy processes. The insights from lexical semantics serve to enhance the debate in the cultural policy domain wherein policy discourse and the ambiguity of language plays a central role.