Transition from Trading to Mining: Representation of the Borneo Environmental History in Conrad's Malay Archipelago

Abstract

The Indonesian government’s development of Nusantara as the next national capital (IKN) has drawn significant attention to the extensive extractive activities along the East Coast of Kalimantan in East Kalimantan Province. There have been fourty-two fatalities in the past twelve years due to communities living in close proximity with numerous abandoned coal mining pits in the area. This study investigates the emergence of an economy focused on extracting natural resources on the East Coast of Kalimantan during the 19th century, as documented by Joseph Conrad, an English author from the Victorian era. Data analysis utilises an environmental history methodology. More precisely, researchers employ the New Historicist approach to juxtapose data extracted from literary texts with historical documents, thus yielding a thorough comprehension of the alterations in the environment during the latter part of the 19th century. The findings of this study indicate that the shifts in economic activity that occurred in the stipulated time period were primarily driven by the transition from trading forest products to mining for coal and gold. The shift in economic activity resulting from global market demand has had a significant impact on environmental changes in this region, especially along the East Coast of Kalimantan and this impact continues to the present day.