NARRATIVE OF BATABUAL CROSSROAD INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN BURU DISTRICT: THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE ILATH VILLAGE COMMUNITY

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Road infrastructure development is a government strategy to improve regional connectivity, accelerate economic growth, and reduce development disparities. This study aims to analyze the narrative of the Batabual Cross-Border Road development in Buru Regency from the perspective of the Ilath Village community, Batabual District, by examining how the community interprets the development and its implications for social, economic, cultural, and environmental life. The study uses a qualitative approach with ethnographic methods. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews with 15 informants consisting of traditional leaders, community leaders, village officials, fishermen, farmers, youth, women, and the general public, and supported by field observations and documentation studies. Data analysis was conducted using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. The research findings show that the Batabual Crossroad is interpreted by the community as a symbol of the state's presence, improving accessibility, expanding economic opportunities, and facilitating access to education and health services. However, development also brings about social changes in the form of increased population mobility, changes in social interaction patterns, increased economic competition, and concerns about environmental sustainability and the preservation of local culture. Analysis using the perspectives of Arturo Escobar and Michel Foucault shows that road construction is not only a physical development, but also shapes discourses about modernity, progress, and power relations that are continuously negotiated by the community. This research emphasizes that the success of infrastructure development needs to be measured not only from its physical aspects, but also from its ability to maintain a balance between economic growth, environmental sustainability, and the cultural identity of local communities.

Keywords: development narrative; road infrastructure; local community; Batabual; development anthropology.