FROM AGRICULTURAL LAND TO ENERGY LANDSCAPE: AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDY OF COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION IN JENEPONTO

Abstract

The transition toward renewable energy has become a fundamental component of sustainable development policies in Indonesia. The establishment of a wind power plant in Jeneponto Regency represents not only a transformation of the energy system but also a process that reshapes the social and cultural life of local communities. This study aims to examine how local people interpret the presence of the wind power plant and how cultural adaptation unfolds amid the ongoing energy transition. The research employed a qualitative ethnographic approach using participant observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation involving residents living around the wind power plant area. Data were analyzed thematically through the perspectives of development anthropology, energy anthropology, and cultural adaptation. The findings reveal that the wind power plant is widely perceived as a symbol of modernization that introduces new technological experiences while simultaneously constructing a new regional identity as a renewable energy landscape. The project has also transformed the social meaning of local space, reshaped relationships between communities and the operating company, and contributed to changes in everyday social practices, including the declining intensity of communal mutual cooperation. Nevertheless, rather than abandoning their cultural values, local communities actively negotiate between long-established traditions and the new social realities introduced by renewable energy development. These findings demonstrate that energy transition is fundamentally a socio-cultural process that cannot be adequately understood solely through technical or economic perspectives. This study contributes to the advancement of development anthropology and energy anthropology by emphasizing the importance of understanding community meaning-making and cultural adaptation in renewable energy development. The findings provide practical implications for designing socially inclusive and culturally responsive energy transition policies that support sustainable development.