Rethinking local genius of the Merapi's community in eruption disaster risk reduction. Does it still work?

Abstract

Merapi Volcano in Central Java which has a high level of activity still holds hazard potential in the future. To reduce the disaster risks, a good disaster management is required. People who live in hazardous areas possess important social capital to enhance disaster management, in the form of local genius to cope with eruption. However, a question arises whether local genius still exists and is accepted by members of the younger generation. This paper presents a discussion about the existence of local genius on the younger generation in the southwest region of Merapi Volcano. The data were collected using some techniques which include interviews, focus group discussions, and literature study. The data were analyzed descriptively supported with scoring and statistical analysis. The results of the study show that local genius is not widely recognized and understood by the younger generation. There are no differences on the understanding of local genius among young members of the society who differ in age. The lack of teaching about local genius between generations causes a low understanding of young generation on local genius. Despite having a high motivation for preserving local genius, the younger generation perceive the local genius as a socio-cultural assets rather than as a source which enhances a disaster management. Overall, this paper presents new insights to understand the existence of local genius among the younger generation.