The discourse of resistance against gold mining in Trenggalek

Abstract

The issue of gold mining industry in Trenggalek has increasingly been a high concern among the local people. People are aware that the mining industry will give adverse impact for their life now and the next generation, because of the natural destruction resulted from the extraction industry. People’s concern is expressed through the texts produced by local people to be circulated locally and more widely. The texts analyzed in this study are the articles in the local portal of “Nggalek.co,” which is locally produced by young people in Trenggalek. As the unit of analysis, there are 6 articles, selected by using the keyword of “tambang emas” (gold mining). This study aims at understanding the discursive strategy of the writers (Trenggalek community) in producing the text in building resistance discourse of the gold mining industry for ensuring the local sustainable development. This research is based on Foucauldian critical framework and critical discourse analysis by employing the Fairclough’s framework of three levels of analysis: micro, meso, and macro. The analysis resulted in identifying the discursive strategies in the form of key themes (knowledge produced) through the text, explaining the social political context of the resistance discourse, and identifying the power relations among the actors.