Abstract
Aktuil was a popular-culture magazine published in Bandung from 1967 to 1978. It played a significant role in disseminating information about and representing the development of rock music in Indonesia, particularly in Bandung, yet it has received limited scholarly attention. This study examines Aktuil’s role in shaping youth sociocultural life through its representations of rock culture. It employs Kuntowijoyo’s historical method, encompassing topic selection, heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The analysis combines a sociology-of-music framework with Stuart Hall’s theory of representation to interpret the content presented in Aktuil. The findings indicate that the magazine contributed to shaping young people’s perspectives, tastes, fashion, and lifestyles through its representations of rock culture, including the hippie lifestyle, marijuana use, long hair, cut-bray trousers, and the consumption and imitation of Western music.