Inter-rural migration and circulation in Indonesia : the case of West Java

Abstract

Migration studies in Indonesia have been concentrated mostly on the examination of 'transmigration', and the estimation of net migration between regions and islands. Also, there have been a few studies on rural-urban population mobility. Commonly, all these works have been at the macro-level of analysis. The main objective of this study has been to examine population mobility between villages. Specifically, aspects such as inter-rural migration, inter-rural circulation and commuting between villages have been investigated. The study deals more with micro-analysis than macro analysis. It is based mainly upon the survey data from 14 villages of the West Java Population Mobility Survey, 1973 . The survey villages are from different parts of West Java. The findings of this study amply illustrate the fact that the nature and process of population movement between the villages cannot be well understood unless migration (permanent movement), circulation and commuting (temporary movement) are considered simultaneously. This study found that the inter-rural permanent movements were not dominated by economic motives. On the other hand the dominant economic motives of most inter-rural circulators and commuters were clear. Most migrants, circulators and commuters were not farmers but were among the newly emerging groups in rural areas. Marriage migration had a unique position in the context of inter-rural migration. Finally, this study emphasized that in the context of Indonesia's development, migration (permanent movement), circulation and commuting (temporary movement) should be considered separately.