Rightless Resistance - (Cornell Modern Indonesia Project) by Ward Berenschot & Ahmad Dhiaulhaq & Afrizal & Otto Hospes (Paperback)

About the Book

"The rapid expansion of palm oil plantations has generated widespread conflict between rural Indonesians and oil palm companies. On the basis of the first-ever large-scale documentation of 150 such conflicts, the authors examine how communities protest against palm oil companies, why they do so, and to what extent they succeed in finding a solution for their grievances"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Rightless Resistance investigates why resistance to land grabbing so often fails. The rapid expansion of oil palm plantations has triggered widespread conflict across rural Indonesia as communities lose their land with little compensation. Based on an unprecedented study of 150 such conflicts, this book uncovers how villagers fight back against palm oil companies, and what their struggles reveal about power, law, and citizenship in postcolonial Indonesia.

Enduring colonial legacies and collusive politics have left rural Indonesians virtually rightless, so villagers turn to customary traditions and social norms instead of formal law--a strategy that rarely gets results. By analyzing this resistance to corporate land grabbing, Ward Berenschot, Ahmad Dhiaulhaq, Afrizal, and Otto Hospes offer a new perspective on why land rights movements often fall short. When the legal system is unreliable, people aim lower--and the deeper power imbalances facilitating their dispossession go unchallenged.

About the Author

Ward Berenschot is Professor of Comparative Political Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam and Senior Researcher at KITLV Leiden. He is the author of Riot Politics and coauthor of Democracy for Sale.

Ahmad Dhiaulhaq is Head of Research and Data Integrity at the World Resources Institute Indonesia.

Afrizal is Professor of Political Science at Andalas University in West Sumatra, Indonesia.

Otto Hospes is Associate Professor of Public Policy and Governance at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.