ジョホール・マラッカ海峡沿岸におけるある在地権力者の農園経営

Abstract

Since the mid-nineteenth century, the resource frontier in peninsular Malaysia has been converted into agricultural land on a large scale and has attracted a great number of people of various socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. Such an expansion of human habitat in peninsular Malaysia has engendered various important societal and academic problems associated with the social and economic development of the country. This study is fundamentally concerned with the ecological and social relations embodied in agricultural land development in the resource frontier in peninsular Malaysia and their historical changes with specific reference to the local society of Rengit, in Batu Pahat district, Johor State. The analytical focus is placed upon : (1) the adaptive process of individual villagers, groups of individuals, and local society as a whole to the changing local ecosystem and wider political economy; (2) the degree of association and integration among villagers whose socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds seem to vary to some extent. The description and analysis are carried out by integrating the biophysical and human elements of the above issues into a conceptual framework of cultural-political ecology, which pays attention to power relations, social relations, and conflicts over resource management in the specific ecological setting. Since the beginning of this century, a large amount of new agricultural land has been developed in lowland Johor along the west coast, of which the area studied is a part. This has been mainly promoted by Javanese and other Indonesians. Chinese traders and farmers, although few in number, also play a significant role in the dynamics of the local society. This paper is structured around a brief case study of a Javanese landlord and the management of his 120-acre estate, which is expected to contribute to elucidating the complex web of interactions within and beyond the local society. Firstly, the history, ecology, and socioeconomy of the area studied is outlined at two levels, state and local society. A detailed description of the landlord is also given. Secondly, the changes in oil palm and coconut farming are analyzed in relation to the local ecology and economy. Thirdly, centering on the selected landlord, the process of land acquisition by individual smallholders is examined based on materials obtained from interviews and a survey of historical documents including official land records. Finally, by examining the organization and social background of estate workers, the importance of the varied social and political relations among those involved in estate farming is discussed.