This paper discusses about class structure, and then followed by discussion on classconsciousness and class conflict in capture fisheries in Indonesia, taking fishers inBalikpapan, East Kalimantan as the case. Data were collected from January to September2006 intermittently, mainly through interviews with fishers, government oflicials,and NGO activists. This research is a qualitative research. In terms of class structure,there are four classes of fishers found in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, namely: labourfishers, small scale fishers, intermediate or medium fishers, and large scale or capitalistfishers. It is argued that class consciousness of the labour fishers has not developed yet.Therefore, labour fisher is only a class in itself, not as a class for itself. There are sixfactors that contribute to the underdeveloped of the class consciousness of the labourfishers. In terms of class conflict, there is a significant deviation from the pattern ofclass conflict described by Marx. In capture fishery, intense and Violent conflict moreoften take place not between the capitalist or owner of the means of production andlabour. Instead, it often happens between the small and intermediate with the capitalistfishers. In such a conflict, there is a strong alliance between the owner of the meansof production and the labour in both camps or small and intermediate, and capitalistclasses. In other word, small and intermediate fishers and their labours unite, on theother hand, capitalists and their labours also unite in this conflict. |