COASTAL CONFLICT AS STRUCTURAL CONFLICT: POWER RELATIONS, UNEQUAL ACCESS, AND FISHERS' RESISTANCE IN EKOR VILLAGE, EAST HALMAHERA REGENCY

Syahrir Ibnu (Universitas Khairun)
Dwi Sumaiyyah Makmur (Universitas Khairun)

Multidiciplinary Output Research for Actual and International Issue (Morfai Journal)
Vol. 6 No. 6 (2026): Multidiciplinary Output Research For Actual and International Issue

Coastal areas are socio-ecological spaces shaped by the interaction of the state, the market, and local communities. This study analyses coastal conflict in Ekor Village, East Halmahera Regency, by integrating the perspectives of political ecology, structural conflict theory, institutional analysis, and the concept of everyday resistance. A qualitative approach with a case study design was employed, using field observation, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and documentary study. Data were analysed using the interactive model. The findings show that unequal access to capital, fishing technology, government assistance, and marketing networks reproduces power relations that place traditional fishers in a subordinate position. The conflict unfolds latently through the uneven distribution of access and development benefits. Fishers develop social solidarity, informal networks, livelihood diversification, and the use of local ecological knowledge to sustain their livelihoods. These practices of everyday resistance strengthen the community's social capital, adaptive capacity, and bargaining position, although they have not directly altered the power structure. The study concludes that coastal conflict is a structural process reproduced through governance mechanisms. Integrating these approaches broadens the understanding of how conflict is reproduced and highlights the importance of inclusive, transparent, participatory, and equitable coastal governance.