Between Admiration and Alienation: Jules Leclercq’s View on Javanese Architecture in Un Séjour dans l'Île de Java

Abstract

This study examines how Jules Leclercq, a 19th-century European traveler, describes the architecture of Java in his travelogue Un Séjour dans l'Île de Java (1898). Adopting a postcolonial approach, this research analyzes the architectural representations in the text. The results show that Leclercq, influenced by the colonial perspective of the time, presents Javanese architecture as a symbol of the cultural difference between the West and the East, while recognizing certain beauties and innovations. This study highlights how these descriptions reinforce colonial stereotypes and emphasize the cultural hierarchy between the Western and Eastern worlds. The results of this analysis offer a better understanding of the impact of European travelogues on the construction of colonial representations, particularly those related to architecture, and highlight the importance of a critical reading of travel literature to deconstruct these stereotypes.