Wet rice cultivation in Indonesia - Free EBooks Library

Wet rice cultivation in Indonesia Chapter three
Chapter three
Conceptual framework
3.1 Introduction
In many areas of Indonesia, farmers have followed modernisation trends within wet rice
cultivation. Yet in other areas, farmers still follow traditional methods and techniques for the
utilisation of sawahs. Two hypotheses might explain these differences. Firstly, it is possible
that some rural communities do not want to modernise their wet rice system because there
is a direct relation between rice production and their identity. Secondly, the form of
traditional authority of a rural community might make the integration of modernisation
influences less accessible. On the other hand, there are also influences from outside that
promote modernisation, such as the agricultural programs of the Indonesian government of
the last three decades. However, we will not include this in the thesis 13 .
This chapter consists of the following paragraphs. First, we will concentrate on the
meaning of identity, tradition and adat in wet rice cultivation. After that, we are going to
review the symbolic aspects within wet rice cultivation. It will become clear that for traditional
rural communities in Indonesia, rice can mean much more than only a form of nutrition. The
next paragraph focuses on traditional authority and the way in which the members of a
traditional community accept this authority. The chapter ends with several important
conclusions.
3.2 The meaning of identity, tradition and adat in wet rice cultivation
3.2.1 Identifying the concept of identity
In many rural areas of Java, wet rice cultivation is of crucial importance for sustaining a
living. In some of these rural areas wet rice cultivation is not only important as a main part of
the daily menu, but also as an integrated part of the live of the people. Thus, for some social
groups on rural Java, wet rice cultivation is also part of their identity. The Kasepuhan are a
very clear example of how rice can be a leading central theme for a traditional rural
community. In this sense, they are not unique since many other traditional communities can
be found across Java that also regard rice as a highly important aspect of their existence,
other than a form of nutrition. Therefore, we will now concentrate on the concept of identity,
and relate it with wet rice cultivation.
Identity is foremost a symbolic construction that exists by attributing a meaning to the
characteristics of customs, habits and behaviour of a certain social group in such a way that
this social group can be distinguished from other social groups. Identity has to do with
characterization and distinction. The customs, habits and behaviour of a social group have
to be eligible and recognizable, with the possibility of connecting them to characteristics and
appreciation. To these characteristics, a specific and unique story is connected and symbols
or icons do often play an important role. Thus, identity is the basis for a social group for
being recognizable. Identity provides boundaries and makes communication and exchange
possible (RLG, 1999).
Consequently, we will define identity as:
‘a symbolic construction of a coherent totality of specific characteristics of a social group,
making this group distinguishable and recognizable from other social groups and attributing a
meaning to the customs, habits and behaviour of this social group’ (RLG, 1999)
13 See appendix 11 for a summary of the report. Consult Bolman, 2006 for the full internship report.
23