Agrarian Conflict and the Persistence of Peasant Resistance: Case Study from Lampung, Indonesia

Abstract

The Agrarian Reform under Joko Widodo's presidency was designated as one of the national prioritized programs. Paradoxically, the recorded numbers of agrarian conflict under his governance increased, including the prolonged and unsolved land dispute inherited from previous regimes. This article describes the underlying processes that conditioned the persistence of agrarian conflict, mainly referring to a case study conducted in Tulang Bawang Regency, Lampung, Indonesia. The research employs a qualitative approach where first-hand data was gathered in 2018 and 2019 combined with analyses of archival sources collected in 2021. The research confirmed that understanding the processes of agrarian transformation in a specific context is necessary to comprehend the root of the agrarian conflict. It also highlights the importance of identity, the relationship between "internal" and "external" activists, and political opportunity structure to explain the persistence of peasant resistance as a form of political reaction from below. The research suggested exploring the generational aspect associated with the inheritance of conflict memory and resolution.