Discourses Contestation between Social Movement Actors and State Actors in Andesite Mining Conflict in Indonesia

Abstract

The construction of water resources infrastructure for a Bener Dam, followed by the policy of designating Wadas Village in Indonesia as an andesite mining location, has triggered horizontal conflicts among the villagers and vertical disputes between the villagers and state actors. This conflict has created a contestation space for the discourse of the three groups of parties involved. By integrating discourse analysis and political ecology, this study aims to explore the contestation of discourses by these three parties through political ecology and discourse analysis approaches. Discourse data of this study were collected through in-depth interviews, news analysis from various online mass media, and documentation. The study results show that discourse contestation is a competition for control of the environment between pro-andesite and counter-andesite mining. These critical findings strengthen and sharpen the relations between ideology and discourse in Fairclough's theorizing in the form of discourse categories. In this case, there are subject practices that experience naturalization processes called dominating discourses. In contrast, subject practices still have reflective capacity are referred to as resistance discourses, while subject practices that overcome the two discourses are referred to as independent discourses. Independent discourse can counter the domination discourse of pro-mining groups who carry out unfair social practices felt by contra-mining groups producing the resistance discourse

Keywords: contestation, discourse, community movement, state, actors

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/15-4-03

Publication date: May 28^th 2025