2021 Volume 30 Issue 2 Pages 25-40
This paper aims to grasp the concept of ‘boundary spanning’ as a remarkable behavior of actors who drive collaborative practices beyond specific sectors of rural governance in Indonesia. Rural governance is defined as the collective endeavor by various actors to tackle the problems which happen simultaneously in several sectors and cannot be solved by individual residents (Tahara 2019). The concept of ‘place’ is also key in dynamically explaining the spatial range of groups of relationships that exist at the micro level in a village.
This study focuses on an irrigated area of South Sulawesi province, where some farmers are proactive as leaders of water users' association. In addition to their work as farmers they also have roles as village officials. By placing them at the center of the case study, it is possible to examine how they have combined their knowledge and human networks acquired from their experience in irrigation management into further collaboration at different levels of rural governance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ‘boundary spanning’ observed in the case study is implemented to mutual benefit in a specific socio-cultural context of rural governance at micro level. Furthermore, the ‘boundary spanning’ actors acknowledge a holistic picture of rural life, visualizing overlapping but unrecognized relationships and resources in the community beyond each sector and utilizing them effectively in different contexts.
In conclusion, seemingly impenetrable issues in one domain can be overcome through being placed into a different context within another domain of rural governance. A ‘boundary spanning’ actor, who brings a different perspective to each issue, can join together disconnected knowledge, resources and human networks in various ways, and thus facilitate new collaborative practices.
