Village Elite and Cement Company: Power Relation of Village Heads Association of Bayah and Cement Company in Lebak, Banten

Abstract

This research departs from industrial development in rural areas, one of which is the construction of a cement company in Bayah which has an impact on the environment and social welfare of rural communities. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method, research data obtained through interviews and documentation studies, with the aim of describing how power relations take place in the countryside between village heads and cement companies. To describe the power relation, this study uses Gaventa's Power Cube theory, which looks at power from three dimensions of the power cube. These dimensions are the form of power, the space of power, and the level of power. The three dimensions above are seen separately, but each other has a relationship that is like a Rubik's cube, which if one dimension is changed, it will have an impact on the other. From this study, there are several findings of power relations based on three dimensions of the power cube. First, the power relation of the village head association with the cement company is related to one another when illustrated in a Rubik's cube form. Second, the power relation in the dimension of form, namely the relation between the visible and hidden forms of power of the village head. Third, power relations based on the village head's space use open and closed spaces. Fourth, power relations based on level, the village head raises the level of power to the sub-district level and the power level in the village takes place between the village head and the cement company, not the association as an institution.