Public voice and communicative practices through coffee shops in Aceh Indonesia

Public communication increasingly unfolds within informal social spaces where citizens exchange information, discuss collective concerns, and shape public opinion beyond formal institutional settings. This study examines communicative practices in coffee shops in Aceh Barat, Indonesia, through a critical ethnographic approach informed by the theory of communicative action. Data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation and analyzed using thematic coding. Findings show that coffee shops function as locally embedded public spaces that facilitate discussions on development, governance, economic issues, and community affairs. Participation, however, remains influenced by seniority, social capital, patriarchal norms, and symbolic authority. Public discourse is further shaped by adab (ethical propriety), religious values, and expectations of social harmony. These findings demonstrate that public voice emerges through the negotiation of communicative rationality and local sociocultural norms, producing a culturally embedded form of public sphere within everyday community life.