2024 年 11 巻 p. 131-153
This study examines a community resettled in Sumatra, Indonesia by the Indonesian Transmigration program, an official government-sponsored resettlement approach of the Suharto era aimed at reducing population pressures in Java and boosting economic development in the outer islands. Since transmigration projects in the 1980s, little research has been conducted on its outcomes. This paper explores the Sitiung Transmigration project, one of the largest transmigration projects in the country, which resettled 3,201 families between 1976-79 from Java to Sitiung in West Sumatra province through the construction of a dam in Wonogiri. People were resettled to land that belonged to indigenous Minangkabau residents. Although the lack of adequate compensation for land takings for the Minangkabau raised the potential conflicts, as has occurred in other transmigration projects, our findings show that the pre-existing Minangkabau community has channeled its resettlement grievances towards the government and the two communities get along well, contributing to successful adaptation. Adaptation was also possible due to the strong social capital of the resettled community, which influenced the physical transformations of the built capital. Findings show that efforts to improve their housing and community labor mobilization were the main factors responsible for improved built capital and living conditions.
