The Discourses of the Sinking Villages in Demak: The Social Relation between Humans and Nature

Abstract

Stories of climate change and its impacts on human life that have been reported in various media supports arguments that it is largely man-made. In many Indonesian communities, however, this disaster that alters cultural, social, and economic environment is often viewed as a natural phenomenon. This paper analyzes expressions of the experiences of local Indonesian inhabitants and media reporters using discourse analysis. The selected texts in the reports mostly focus on expressions concerning how the inhabitants dealt with the ever-increasing tidal flood that engulfed their dwellings and communities. The analysis reveal that stories on their experiences contain words and themes representing their views of natural phenomenon that created memories of the past and uncertain plans for the futures. Different types and class of words they express not only represent grieving for loss of livelihood, but also, more importantly, embody efforts to make the best of what is left, including changing the inundated district into a tourism site.