Community appropriation of communal sanitation

ABSTRACT

This article aims to reveal the appropriation of communal sanitation facilities in an urban kampung area of Kampung Cikini, Jakarta. In Indonesia, MCK (mandi, cuci, kakus) refers to a communal facility for bathing, washing, and urinating/defecating. We argue that the urban kampung dwellers’ behaviour in using communal sanitation facilities is a form of appropriation and reappropriation of space which began with the establishment of the urban kampung area. Having conducted observations, interviews, and focus group discussions, we discovered that communal sanitation facilities have undergone continuous appropriation and reappropriation from colonial times until today in a dialectical process. Appropriation and reappropriation can be seen from the physical change of those facilities and their usages in everyday life. Standards of communal sanitation set by the government are negotiated and appropriated by different actors, while reappropriation depends on gender and labour division within the household.

KEYWORDS:

• appropriation
• communal sanitation
• sanitation behaviour
• urban kampung

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by PINTERMIDI Grant from Universitas Indonesia with contract number: NKB-3170/UN2.RST/HKP.05.00/2020.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Evawani Ellisa

Evawani Ellisa is Professor at the department of architecture, Universitas Indonesia. She teaches architectural design studio and urban design. She conducts research on the urban environment and on large Indonesian cities.

Estu Putri Wilujeng

Estu Putri Wilujeng* is Assistant Professor in the sociology department of Universitas Indonesia.

Hanifa Fijriah Wasnadi

Hanifa Fijriah Wasnadi is Assistant Professor on the Architecture Programme at Institut Teknologi & Bisnis Ahmad Dahlan Jakarta, South Tangerang, Indonesia.

Raphaella Dewantari Dwianto

Raphaella Dewantari Dwianto is Associate Professor at the department of sociology, Universitas Indonesia. Her publications and research focus on urban community issues, housing policy, and urban lifestyle.

Jenni Anggita

Jenni Anggita, a graduate in cultural studies from Universitas Indonesia, is an independent researcher whose research interests cover Tionghoa Indonesian issues and the urban kampung.

Nurrul Helen

Nurrul Helen is a doctoral candidate at the department of architecture, Universitas Indonesia.

Erina Asyera

Erina Asyera is Lecturer on the Architecture Study Programme at President University, West Java, Indonesia.

Putri Ayu Iramaya

Putri Ayu Iramaya is an independent researcher and graduated from the department of sociology, Universitas Indonesia.

*Corresponding author, email: [email protected]