Dari Identitas Muslim menjadi Simbol Nasional: Sejarah Peci M Iming di Indonesia 1928-1955

Abstract

The peci (fez-like cap) has long been regarded as a symbol of religious, particularly Muslim, identity. However, during the Indonesian national movement (1908–1945), the peci underwent a transformation in meaning, shifting from a religious to a national identity, as it became closely associated with movement figures such as Sukarno, Mohammad Hatta, and Buya Hamka. This article aims to reconstruct the history of Peci M Iming, a peci brand from Bandung established in 1918 on Groote Postweg (now Jalan Ahmad Yani), as part of that transformation. The study employs the historical method (heuristics, criticism, interpretation, and historiography), supplemented by an interview with the fourth-generation heir of the M Iming business, and is analyzed through Clifford Geertz's theory of culture, enriched by Anthony D. Smith's theory of national identity and Benedict Anderson's concept of imagined community. The findings show that Peci M Iming grew from a home business with a single sewing machine into a shop known for its opal shape, ship-inspired model, and Kembang Bandung motif, along with M Iming's authentic hand-stitched signature. The study also identifies four circumstantial facts—the shop's proximity to the sites of Sukarno's movement activities in Bandung, testimony from the heir's family, the coincidence between the business's golden era and Sukarno's presidency, and similarities in cap motifs—that strengthen the argument linking Peci M Iming to the cap worn by Sukarno, including at the 1955 Asian-African Conference. The study concludes that Peci M Iming is not merely a local craft heritage of Bandung, but also a witness to, and part of, the long process of Indonesian national identity formation.