ABSTRAKThis study, titled ""Pasang Surut Pelayaran Perahu Rakyat di Pelabuhan Banjarmasin, 1880- 1990"" (The Ebb and Flow of Prahu Shipping in Banjarmasin Port, 1880-1990), is focused on the activities of prahu shipping in Banjarmasin port in its shipping network with surrounding ports. The objectives of this study are (1) to describe the responses of prahu fleets to the changes in technology of sea transportation (steam ship, motorization, container ship, and crane) which go along with the changes in economic and politic affairs and also with the government's policy between 1880 up to 1990 in Banjarmasin port, and (2) to describe the position of Banjarmasin port in the growth of prahu shipping network in surrounding area. To describe the responses of prahu fleets to the technological as well as economical and political changes, I use a Campo's concept about the impacts of a new technology on the old one. According to him, the diffusion of a new technology will bring about four options to the users of the old one. The first, they try to adopt it. The second, they try to adapt to it: while using the old technology, they benefit from the rise in productivity and the spill-over of opportunities which often follow in the wake of technological innovation. The third, if there are no such opportunities, they maybe force to relocate their activities to some peripheral area. The fourth, if there seem to be no such opportunities for continuation, they exit and tryto do another enterprise. In this study, I propose two assumptions. The first, prahu shipping in Banjarmasin port still exists in coping with challenges of modernization because of some enabling factors: (a) the productions from hinterland such as rubber, wood, rattan etc. and handicrafts like tikar purun are plentiful, (b) prahu fleets have their own customers i.e. the small traders, (c) the flexibility of prahu fleets in loading and unloading cargo (it can load various cargo in a simple way and cheap cost. The second, the responses of prahu fleets to the new technology (steam ship, container, crane) are: (a) adaptation i.e. prahu fleets can benefit the chances the new technology brings, and (b) semirelocation i.e. prahu fleets expand their activity to the peripheral area, without retreat from the core area (Banjarmasin port), in order to get cargo. In 1880s to 1942 the existence of prahu shipping faced some challenges and changes i.e. new technology (steam ship), crisis of world economy, and war politic of Japan. The responses were at first competition with the steam ships of KPM and then adaptation (1880s to 1920s). When the steam ships of KPM collapsed for a while in the early of 1930s because of Economic Depression, prahu fleets revived, especially when the prahu shipping organization (ROEPELIN) was established 1935. In the early of 1940s, however, it decreased because the invasion of Japan in Indonesia. In the period of 1942 up to 1964, the prahu shipping was not in good condition because of war (up to the end of 1940s) and the political and economical unrest (1950-1957). It had actually chance to revive at the end of this. |