Integration of Local Wisdom and Leadership in Community Empowerment Toward Sustainable Circular Economy in Sumowono
Keywords:
Community Empowerment, Local Wisdom , Sustainable Circular Economy, Transformational LeadershipAbstract
This study explores a model of integrating local wisdom into community empowerment as a pathway for transformation towards a sustainable circular economy in Sumowono District, Semarang Regency. Using a qualitative narrative approach, this study analyses how transformational leadership, community empowerment, local wisdom, and collective consciousness transformation interact in creating systemic change towards sustainability. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with community leaders, farmer group leaders, and practitioners of local wisdom, as well as participant observation to understand the socio-cultural context (Creswell & Poth, 2018). The findings show that the Sumowono community has practised circular economy principles in the form of intercropping systems, reuse of organic materials, and community-based resource management. Effective transformational leadership is collective and rooted in communal values, acting as a cultural broker that translates modern concepts into the local cultural context. Authentic community empowerment occurs through the recognition and revitalisation of existing local capacities, rather than the transfer of capacities from outside. The transformation of collective consciousness facilitates a paradigm shift from a linear mindset to circular thinking through collective learning and spiritual reflection. The holistic integration of these four elements creates a synergistic model that is resilient and sustainable, with multiple feedback loops that reinforce each other (Ostrom, 2015; Berkes, 2018).
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