Paramita: Historical Studies Journal
Vol 24, No 2 (2014): PARAMITA

MANAGING LAND RE/DIS-POSSESSION FROM BELOW: HISTORY OF BIOPOLITICS COUNTERMOVEMENT IN TWO JAVANESE RURAL COMMUNITIES

Shohibuddin, Mohamad ( Department of Communication and Community Development Sciences, Faculty of Human Ecology, Bogor Agricultural University)



Article Info

Publish Date
05 Nov 2014

Abstract

The long debate on whether rural community in Java is more characterised as egalitarian or differentiated one has underrated the agency of the local people. This paper tries to propose the agency of local people through a comparative account upon history of two communities, namely Ngandagan in Central Java and Wangunwati in West Java. Mobilizing the collective action toward land struggle, both communities involved in a broad spectrum of property relations reform which ranged from struggles over material things, revenue, to political power. As those struggles reflect interventions for “making live” and “not letting die” of the local population, this paper argues that both communities engaged in biopolitics countermovement directed to market and political forces threatening their means of livelihoods and even their life. However, while two communities succeeded in transforming inter-groups property relations within community, their political future would eventually necessitate the broader transformation of property relations between the state and the society.Keywords: history of rural community, agrarian crises, the agency of local people, land struggle, property relations reform, biopolitics, Java, Indonesia.Perdebatan panjang mengenai apakah komunitas pedesaan di Jawa lebih bercorak egalitarian atau terdiferensiasi telah menyebabkan agensi penduduk lokal kurang diperhatikan. Paper ini mencoba mengedepankan agensi komunitas lokal melalui uraian komparatif atas sejarah dua komunitas, yakni Ngandagan di Jawa Tengah dan Wangunwati di Jawa Barat. Memobilisasikan aksi kolektif seputar perjuangan atas tanah, kedua komunitas ini terlibat dalam pembaruan relasi-relasi kepemilikan dalam spektrum yang luas, yang terentang dari perjuangan atas kepemilikan menyangkut benda material, pendapatan, hingga kekuasaan politik. Mengingat perjuangan demikian mencerminkan intervensi untuk “membuat hidup” dan “tidak membiarkan mati” atas penduduk lokal, paper ini berargumen bahwa kedua komunitas tersebut menjalankan gerakan perlawanan biopolitics yang ditujukan pada kekuatan pasar dan politik yang mengancam sarana penghidupan dan bahkan jiwa mereka. Namun, sementara keduanya berhasil dalam mentransformasikan relasi-relasi kepemilikan di dalam komunitas, masa depan politik mereka pada akhirnya akan menuntut transformasi lebih luas dalam relasi-relasi kepemilikan antara negara dan masyarakat.Kata kunci: sejarah komunitas pedesaan, krisis agraria, agensi masyarakat lokal, perjuangan atas tanah, pembaruan relasi-relasi kepemilikan, biopolitics, Jawa, Indonesia. 

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Journal Info

Abbrev

paramita

Publisher

Subject

Humanities

Description

The journal publishes writings on (1) historiography, (2) philosophy of history, (3) history of education, and (4) history educaiton. Historiography means the writing of history based on the critical examination of sources, the selection of particular details from the authentic materials in those ...