Habitus and Socio-Cultural Challenges in the Governance of Red-and-White Rural Village Cooperatives in Rural Lampung - An Anthropology of Development Study

Sep 10, 2026

Uploaded by Mack Lee

This study analyzes how habitus and socio-cultural factors shape governance challenges in Red-and-White rural village cooperatives in rural Lampung, using an anthropology of development perspective. Cooperatives are treated as social spaces influenced by local values, norms, power relations, and cultural practices, which explains why development programs often fail when these dimensions are ignored. Using qualitative constructivist methods with interviews, observation, and documentation, the research applies Bourdieu’s habitus framework and triangulated data.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Cooperatives in Indonesia and rural institutional history

The KDKMP program as a strategic initiative

Policy framing: from village dependence to village empowerment

Citation: Nurdin, B. V., Nabila, R. M., Wibisono, D., & Turki, S. S. A. (2026) . Habitus and Socio-Cultural Challenges in the Governance of Red-and-White Rural Village Cooperatives in Rural Lampung: An Anthropology of Development Study. Jurnal Bina Praja, 18(1), 211–225. [https://doi.org/](https://doi.org/)[ ](https://doi.org/)[10.21787/jbp.18.2026.3025](10.21787/jbp.18.2026.3025) [Submitted: 25 February 2026](Submitted: 25 February 2026) [Accepted: 15 April 2026](Accepted: 15 April 2026) [Published: 30 April 2026](Published: 30 April 2026) © The Author(s) This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike 4.0 International License. JURNAL BINA PRAJA Journal of Home Affairs Governance ARTICLE Habitus and Socio-Cultural Challenges in the Governance of Red-and-White Rural Village Cooperatives in Rural Lampung An Anthropology of Development Study Bartoven Vivit Nurdin 􀀁 ✉, Rezha Marsya Nabila, Damar Wibisono 􀀁, Syifaa Sabionova Addina Turki 􀀁 Lampung University, Bandar Lampung, Indonesia ✉ [bartoven.vivit@fisip.unila.ac.id](bartoven.vivit@fisip.unila.ac.id) Abstract: This study analyzes the habitus and socio-cultural challenges in the governance of Red-and-White rural village cooperatives in rural Lampung from the perspective of the anthropology of development. Cooperatives are understood not only as economic entities but also as social spaces shaped by local values, norms, power relations, and cultural practices, and many development programs falter when these dimensions are overlooked. We employed a qualitative, constructivist approach drawing on in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation, with findings analyzed through data triangulation. Pierre Bourdieu’s (1977) theory of habitus serves as the main framework for explaining how social dispositions inform cooperative governance. The research was conducted in two pilot villages in Lampung, Rejomulyo and Bumisari. The findings indicate that cooperative success depends heavily on a village’s socio-economic character. In Rejomulyo, where most residents are farmers, cooperatives are most effective when focused on agriculture, whereas in Bumisari, which rests on micro, small, and medium enterprises, services, and trade, cooperatives develop along those lines. Cooperatives concentrate on absorbing local farm produce, selling fertilizer, operating minimarkets, and opening pharmacies, yet remain hesitant to offer savings and loan services. Challenges include limited capital, a small membership base, limited human-resource capacity, restricted access to partnerships, weak coordination with local governments, and competition from loan sharks and middlemen. The community’s collective habitus—marked by patronage, kinship ties, and social hierarchy—shapes cooperative governance. We argue that attending to local habitus is essential to strengthening cooperative institutions more adaptively and sustainably. Keywords: Habitus; Anthropology of Development; Governance, Red-and-White Rural Village Cooperative; Lampung. 1. Introduction The history of cooperatives in Indonesia reflects a long journey across various models and institutional forms. In rural areas, beginning with the now-defunct Koperasi Unit Desa [village unit cooperatives] (KUDs), communities developed cooperatives organized around specific groups, including farming communities, village institutions, and other community bodies. These cooperatives were formed to protect communities from the debt trap of middlemen, mobile banks, loan sharks, and even online lending. Farmers who had once depended on middlemen buying their crops at low prices, for example, can now sell their produce through cooperatives. Farmers also established their own organizations to manage crop sales and fertilizer purchases—organizations known as Gabungan Kelompok Tani [farmers’group associations] . Badan Usaha Milik Desa [village-owned enterprises](BUMDes) likewise emerged to manage villag

FAQs

What theoretical framework guides the study’s analysis of cooperative governance?

The study uses Pierre Bourdieu’s (1977) theory of habitus to explain how social dispositions influence cooperative governance.

Why do development programs for cooperatives sometimes fail in the study’s context?

Programs can falter when local values, norms, power relations, and cultural practices are overlooked, because cooperatives function not only economically but also socially.

What key challenges hinder the Red-and-White cooperatives in the pilot villages?

The study highlights limited capital, a small membership base, constrained human-resource capacity, weak access to partnerships, weak coordination with local governments, and competition from loan sharks and middlemen.

Sep 10, 2026

Uploaded by Mack Lee