The Transformation of the Jawara Clan's Political Behavior: From New Order Coercion to Pragmatic Clientelism in the Era of Electoral Democracy in Banten, Indonesia

This article analyzes the transformation of the political behavior of the Jawara Clan in Banten as a long trajectory stretching from the colonial period to the contemporary era of electoral democracy. The research was conducted using a social-behavior paradigm and a phenomenological-qualitative approach based on an instrumental case study of the political behavior of the Jawara Clan in the 2020 and 2024 Regional Elections (Pemilukada) of Serang Regency. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews with political elites, kiai (Islamic clerics), jawara, academics, political brokers, and grassroots community figures, supplemented by historical document study. The findings reveal three major phases in the transformation of the Jawara Clan's political behavior. First, the pre-colonial and colonial phase, in which the jawara acted as social bandits and a revolutionary elite of resistance against Dutch colonialism. Second, the New Order phase, in which the coercive power of the jawara underwent systematic institutionalization through the formation of the Indonesian Banten Association of Pencak Silat Masters and Arts and Culture (P3SBBI) as well as co-optation into the Golkar Party as an organic force of the state. Third, the post-Reform electoral-democracy phase, in which the jawara underwent what the author terms the rationalization of agency—a systematic shift from coercive instruments to mechanisms of pragmatic clientelism. The author argues that this transformation is not merely a tactical change, but a structural adaptation reflecting the capacity of the Jawara Clan as a rational actor capable of converting physical capital into political, economic, and symbolic capital. However, this transformation also harbors a structural vulnerability that was exposed in the 2024 Regional Election when confronted with the intervention of central power through legal channels and the coercion of the state apparatus.

Jawara Clan, Transformation, Political_Behavior, Coercion, Pragmatic Clientelism, Banten

1. Aspinall, E., & Berenschot, W. (2019). Democracy for Sale: Elections, Clientelism and the State in Indonesia. Cornell University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Aspinall, E., & Sukmajati, M. (2015). Politik Uang di Indonesia: Patronase dan Klientelisme pada Pemilu Legislatif 2014. PolGov. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Barker, J. (2001). State of Fear: Controlling the Criminal Contagion in Suharto's New Order. In B. R. O. Anderson (Ed.), Violence and the State in Suharto's Indonesia. Cornell University Southeast Asia Program. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and Power in Social Life. Transaction Publishers. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Bourdieu, P. (1977). Outline of a Theory of Practice (R. Nice, Trans.). Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Bourdieu, P. (1986). The Forms of Capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education. Greenwood. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (4th ed.). SAGE. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2009). Handbook of Qualitative Research. Pustaka Pelajar. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Hamid, A., & Facal, G. (2013). Nationalism, Islam, and Political Influence: The Ethics of the Enterprises in Banten (Indonesia). Moussons, 21, 51–63. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Hudaeri, M. (2003). Jawara di Banten: Peran, Kedudukan dan Jaringannya. Al-Qalam, 20(97). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Hudaeri, M. (2007). Tasbih dan Golok: Kedudukan, Peran, dan Jaringan Kiyai dan Jawara di Banten. Humas dan Protokol, Setda Provinsi Banten. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Kartodirdjo, S. (1984). Pemberontakan Petani Banten 1888. Pustaka Jaya. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Kartodirdjo, S. (1996). Berkunjung ke Banten Satu Abad yang Lalu (1879–1888). In Masyarakat dan Budaya Banten. Pusat Penelitian Arkeologi Nasional. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Knoke, D. (1990). Political Networks: The Structural Perspective. Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Lubis, N. H. (2004). Banten dalam Pergumulan Sejarah: Sultan, Ulama, Jawara. LP3ES. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Migdal, J. S. (1988). Strong Societies and Weak States: State-Society Relations and State Capabilities in the Third World. Princeton University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Munshi, S. (2021). Criminality and Clientelism: A Game-Theoretic Exploration. Indian Economic Review, 56(2), 375–403. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Ota, A. (2006). Changes of Regime and Social Dynamics in West Java: Society, State and the Outer World of Banten, 1750–1830. Brill. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Rahayu, S. D., Mursitama, T. N., & Lestari, Y. D. (2018). Decentralization and Local Governance in Indonesia. Journal of Government and Civil Society, 2(2), 119–134. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Ritzer, G. (2007). Sosiologi Ilmu Pengetahuan Berparadigma Ganda. RajaGrafindo Persada. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Sidel, J. T. (1999). Capital, Coercion, and Crime: Bossism in the Philippines. Stanford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Suhartono. (1995). Bandit-Bandit Pedesaan di Jawa: Studi Historis 1850–1942. Aditya Media. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Tihami. (1992). Kepemimpinan Kiai dan Jawara di Banten. Universitas Indonesia. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Usman, S. (2018). Modal Sosial. Pustaka Pelajar. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Williams, M. C. (2003). Arit dan Bulan Sabit: Pemberontakan Komunis 1926 di Banten. Syarikat Indonesia. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Wilson, I. D. (2015). The Politics of Protection Rackets in Post-New Order Indonesia. Routledge. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Wilson, I. D., & Suryana, M. J. (2019). Politik Jatah Preman: Ormas dan Kuasa Jalanan di Indonesia Pasca Orde Baru. Marjin Kiri. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• The Dynamic of Religious Pluralism and Cultural Identity in Rongmei Naga (Kabui) Society
• Effects of Social-Economic Empowerment of Teenage Mothers and Nurture Care. A Case of Kimbilio Hope Centre, Machakos, Kenya
• Gendering Caste and Casteing Gender: A Study of Social Sickness in Uma Chakravarti’s Gendering Caste: Through a Feminist Lens
• Counselling as Social Work for Women Empowerment in Akwa Ibom State: A Case Study of Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area. Implications for Counsellors
• Motherhood: Inclusion and Containment, A Case Study