From Gambling to Housing: Collective Memory of Cinchona Plantation Residents in West Java, Indonesia

Alissa Wiranova
Budiawati Supangkat
Dede Mulyanto

Historia Madania: Jurnal Ilmu Sejarah
Vol. 9 No. 1 (2025): Historia Madania: Jurnal Ilmu Sejarah

This study examines the collective memory possessed by local residents in the area of the former Dutch colonial cinchona plantation in Cikembang Village, West Java, which manifests in the form of historical building remnants and oral narratives. Through an ethnohistorical approach, the memory narratives conveyed by residents indicate their attachment to the plantation institution as result of paternalistic relation as a way of labor control. This research demonstrates that, in addition to providing basic necessities and improving moral standards for workers, paternalistic relation were implemented to maintain a continuous supply of plantation labor.