Page 69 - IJPS-10-4

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Migrant traders, social capital, and the politics

of local wisdom: A descriptive study of Warung
Madura networks in Jakarta, Indonesia

1
Medhy Aginta Hidayat * , Iskandar Dzulkarnain 1 , Ida Ruwaida 2 , and
Anita Kristina 3
1 Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Cultural Sciences, Universitas Trunojoyo Madura,
Bangkalan, East Java, Indonesia
2 Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Depok,
West Java, Indonesia
3 Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Trunojoyo Madura,
Bangkalan, East Java, Indonesia

Abstract
This article examines the factors driving the survival and self-reliance of Madurese
migrant traders in Jakarta, Indonesia. Specifically, it aims to refine the long-standing
argument that minority migrant groups are forced to adapt, become marginalized,
and shed their identities. By combining perspectives on social capital and the
*Corresponding author:
Medhy Aginta Hidayat politics of local wisdom, this mixed-method study provides an in-depth analysis
(medhy.hidayat@trunojoyo.ac.id) of how Madurese migrant traders establish and develop networks of small grocery
stalls, known as “Warung Madura,” in Jakarta. Our findings reveal that social capital
Citation: Hidayat, M.A.,
Dzulkarnain, I., Ruwaida, I., & – through strong Madurese ethnic and religious values, norms, networks, and trust
Kristina, A. (2024). Migrant traders, among members – is the main driving force behind the success of these traders in
social capital, and the politics of Jakarta. Furthermore, strict adherence to local wisdom, specifically Madurese culture
local wisdom: A descriptive study
of Warung Madura networks in and traditional Islamic teachings, significantly contributes to their survival and self-
Jakarta, Indonesia. International reliance. The results suggest that the survival strategies employed by Madurese
Journal of Population Studies, migrant traders, based on certain social capital and local wisdom, could serve as a
10(4): 63-76.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.2637 model for the socioeconomic empowerment of urban ethnic migrant groups.
Received: January 5, 2024
Accepted: June 28, 2024 Keywords: Ethnic identity; Local wisdom; Madurese; Migrant traders; Social capital;
Warung Madura
Published Online: September 11,
2024
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article 1. Introduction
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution The Madurese ethnic group is one of the largest in Indonesia and has a long history of
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, internal migration (De Jonge, 1995; Husson, 1997; Wekke et al., 2019). Their migration
provided the original work is destinations range from major cities in Java, such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, and
properly cited. Yogyakarta, to smaller towns in remote areas of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and
Publisher’s Note: AccScience Papua (Husson, 1997; Wekke et al., 2019). Poor economic conditions are often the main
Publishing remains neutral with driving factor of Madurese internal migration (De Jonge, 1995; Husson, 1997), with the
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional barren natural environment of Madura Island compelling many to leave their homeland
affiliations. in search of better livelihoods.

Volume 10 Issue 4 (2024) 63 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.2637