Masters of the countryside and their enemies: Class dynamics of agrarian change in rural Java

This paper scrutinizes class dynamics of agrarian change in rural Java. Updating the literature of agrarian change on the island in the 21st century, the study shows how the agrarian ruling class (capitalist farmers and landlords) and classes of labour in contemporary rural Java negotiate over wages and working conditions, mediated by a local institution called a “village meeting.” Apart from dominating the agrarian landscape, capitalist farmers and landlords also occupy powerful positions in non-agricultural spheres of village life and make themselves “the masters of the countryside.” The discussion on the struggle between the masters of the countryside and their enemies in the classes of labour offers a new understanding of how agricultural wages and working conditions are adjusted in Java. Our study of a Javanese village also highlights the importance of exploring the complexity of class location to understand the nature of class relations. Looking at both class location and class relations in a single analysis offers a fuller understanding of the class dynamics of agrarian change. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.