Involution in small-scale lava tour enterprises among people affected by the Mount Merapi eruption, Indonesia

Victims of the 2010 Mount Merapi eruption propelled recovery by shifting from dairy farming to small-scale lava tour enterprises, taking tourists to tour the affected areas using jeeps. This paper explores the relevance of moral economy in the enterprises for recovery and livelihoods. This research was conducted in Umbulharjo Village, Merapi, Indonesia. This ethnographic research held in-depth interview with 12 key-informants, 11 participatory observations, and used Q method to gather information about the relevance of tour packages for sustainability. 36 respondents were also surveyed to describe the lava tour profile. This paper contributes to the discussion on equal access of livelihoods. It finds out the local concept of moral economy and its relevance to community resilience. Although undergoing an involution process, the implementation of the moral and rational economies has succeeded in protecting tourism resources as a collective asset for community livelihood, rather than being controlled by outside capitalist entrepreneurs. © 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.